A few weeks ago, I mentioned that I had won a scholarship to the Kelly Campus of Teton Science Schools. There, I studied in the Jackson Hole Science Expeditions program, which was actually celebrating its 50th anniversary!
I think that I’ve returned from my month-long trip in the mountains a changed person. I think that my life has been completely zoomed out, and then re-zoomed in: I have a new, broader perspective of things, even though I came home to a thousand things to do. Despite the work waiting for me at home, I try to keep in mind the lessons I’ve learned from the Tetons.
There’s so much I’ve learned from Wyoming, both technical and social skills as well as more about myself: at TSS I’ve discovered the history and richness of Jackson Hole and the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem: the formation of mountain ranges, the paths of glaciers, the SCAR communities, the Rockefellers and the Muries in public land and much more; I’ve met friends from all over the globe -- Singapore, Qatar, New York, Mexico -- and developed communities and relationships that will stay with me for the rest of my life; and finally, I’ve found a sense of peace and gratitude that eluded me throughout the whirlwind that was my junior year of high school.
Despite all this, there are a few lessons that stand out. Here they are: 1) humility -- after looking up into the stars and after seeing these mountains and animals I'm really so small and my problems are so insignificant in the grand scheme of things; all of this will be a faded memory soon and life's this constant rush of memory and feeling and it'll all be over so I really really really want to slow down and enjoy things while they last. 2) strength -- after hiking mountains and crossing rivers and canoeing across lakes, I really think I'll be able to do it (whatever it is) and I will always have the support of friends and family. 3) technology really changes you. 4) reading helps.
The most immediate emotions upon my return home were sadness and gratitude: sadness, because I couldn’t believe the month went by so fast, and that I probably won’t ever get the chance to experience something like this again; sadness, because nothing gold can stay. Gratitude, later, because I have had such a wonderful, fantastic, life-changing experience that I wouldn’t change for anything in the world.
In the days following my return home, I found myself thinking often of the mountains and the friends I made there. I lingered on memories from backpacking trips and pulled out photos from my trip more often than not. While listening to songs that were played during my trip, I think I understood pining, but in a good way, in a reminiscing way.
Now, two weeks from my return, I think I’ve found my peace away from the Tetons. I find myself implementing habits from my life there into my life here. For example, not using my phone during car rides, and instead just musing; eating and only eating, without any distractions; practicing gratitude and appreciating in-person conversations, as opposed to text or email. I feel more at peace with myself, and although I wish for more time for the finer things -- enjoying time with my family, playing more piano and violin, reading more, writing more -- I appreciate my life more than before!
While in Wyoming, I found myself writing whenever inspiration struck. As it were, inspiration struck quite often, and in the most beautiful places! I will post my writings from my trip soon.
No comments:
Post a Comment