Make Time To Live

Sometimes you just need to pack a bag, grab your sense of humor, and remind yourself that the world is a whole lot bigger than your inbox.

I’ve learned over the years that traveling isn’t about escaping life, it’s about remembering to live it. Whether it’s fly fishing in the mountains with the water cold enough to make you question your life choices, snorkeling in Jamaica alongside fish that are way too comfortable in your personal space, or taking a guided hike through the canyons of Arizona where every turn looks like a postcard. These are the moments that fill my soul.

Utah’s views stopped me dead in my tracks and the hikes there were no joke. Boston’s fresh seafood will ruin you… for all other seafood cannot compare. The Florida Keys, Don’t even get me started. Deep sea fishing there was a mix of beauty, chaos, and laughter. Basically, a perfect metaphor for my life. When I need to breathe, nothing calms my heart quite like watching the waves crash against the South Carolina coast. There’s just something about the ocean that makes all the noise in my head fade away.

But the best part of every adventure is who I get to share it with. The people that mean the most to me will always, by far, be the best part of any trip.

My family have been my favorite travel buddies from the start. Those long road trips with snacks, laughter, and questionable car karaoke, to cabin weekends now filled with card games, adult conversations, and the same kind of laughter that makes your cheeks hurt. Wanting to explore the country and having the opportunity to do so, is the kind of joy I’ll never take for granted.

Then there are the girls’ trips…horseback rides through the countryside, laughter echoing through cabins, and memories that remind me that being terrified or exhausted or totally out of your comfort zone is often where the best stories come from.

Here’s what I know for sure: peace doesn’t just show up on your doorstep one morning. You have to go out and make space for it. Sometimes it’s found in quiet mornings and other times it’s hidden in the middle of adventure. In saltwater hair, sore muscles, and sunsets that make you stop talking for a minute.

I’ve spent enough of my life rushing to the next thing. These days, I’m more focused on soaking it all in. The laughter, the beauty, the food (especially the food), and the people who make it all worth it. I want to keep saying YES to new experiences, to road trips, to seafood by the water, and to every moment that makes my heart swell with gratitude.

So that’s my reminder to myself and maybe to you, too.

Make time to live. To explore. To eat the good food, take the trip, and laugh until your face hurts with the people who mean the most to you. Because peace isn’t found in perfection. It’s found in the messy, beautiful, unforgettable moments in between.