Summer

Apologies, this blog has been rather silent for the last couple months. Mentally, I try to give myself a break in the summer. I lived in Riggins, raft guided when there was work, spent long afternoons on the beach when there wasn't, backpacked in the seven devils, ate breakfast at Cattlemens, drank beer in boat stacks with good friends, soaked in hot springs, danced to bad 80s music at Summervilles and skinny dipped off the boat ramp.

 (photo by Mark Curry)

There were times when I forgot about climate change, world hunger, biodiversity loss, water scarcity and terminal brain cancer. There were times when I just felt like a regular nineteen year old girl. There were times when I was completely and genuinely happy. Selfish? Probably, but now, back in Missoula, I feel refreshed. I am ready to jump back into the real world, however harsh and hearbreaking it might be.

On Friday, Dad came down to Riggins and went rafting with me. He is not doing well. He is tired, the tumor is growing, and we are out of options for treatment. While we ate dinner he asked me to tell him one thing I would do (just for me) if I could do anything in the world. I thought about it for awhile. And then I realized, I am doing everything I want to be doing. I raft guide in the summer, I go to school in a town I love, I am spending the fall semester backpacking and kayaking for my credits. I have people in Moscow, Riggins and Missoula who I love and who take care of me. I have enough money to eat well, sleep in a warm (ish) house, and drink good beer. What more could a girl really want or need?