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A journal entry capturing my first visit to Wyoming and the wonders of the wild west. |
| In 1990 I traveled to Jackson Hole, Wyoming to spend a week at a Dude Ranch. Not knowing quite what to expect, I went with reluctance and trepidation. I returned a changed women. Here's my story. I'm back to reality and not happy to be here! I long to be back in Wyoming surrounded by the mountains, the clear blue skies, the starry nights and the abundance of nature. I wish I was back at the Tri-Angle X ranch in that safe, clean, beautiful place with only the sun to wake me, the stars to tell me goodnight, mountains to ride and explore, new friends to be made, and a horse to take me wherever I might want to go. I have that same sad feeling that used to overwhelm me when I came back from camp as a child. That was probably the only time it never felt good to be back home. In Wyoming, I got close to the people there and the simple, slow pace of life in the mountains. What a joy to meet new friends that would last a lifetime and a place where smiles were real, hearts were true, classicism did not exist, age was not a barrier, and everyone was equal as I am sure God intended us to be. I am now left with that old feeling that arises when the heart aches for something that was and is no more and the question arises "was it better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all?" That same feeling applies to my experience in Wyoming. I am quite sure that I would not have wanted to miss the days spent at the ranch, but it hurts just the same because those days are no more. I know there are more days to come and I will go back to Wyoming and those friends and the natural beauty of the mountains. There will be more magic moments to be made. I know that as the days pass this ache will begin to subside and I will reluctantly crawl back into reality, looking back over my shoulder and longing for the great outdoors. Tears begin to stream from my eyes and my heart as I think about the peace I left behind. I wish I could put all the beauty that I experienced into a bottle and take a long, cool drink whenever I need a reminder that there is more to life than the day-in, day-out chaos where I spend most of my time. I'd lie to lay out on the green lawn with the smell of sagebrush surrounding me and look up at the night, view the Milky Way, and wish upon the shooting stars that are in abundance. I'd like to feel the wind blowing through my hair and and inhale the smells of the mountains as I watch the Snake River winding through the Tetons. The "crunch crunch" sound of footsteps on the gravel drive and real laughter coming from adults and children alike is something that my heart yearns to hear. I long to leave my doors wide open with no fear of loss -- no fear at all! I 'd like to watch the young wranglers on their horses as they ride with the grace of a dancer, so in tune with the rhythm of their steed that you can't tell where the Wrangler ends and the horse begins. I'd like to see them raise their hats high in the air and hear the pounding of the hoofs as they herd the horses down to the Snake River and watch them all disappear in a cloud of dust. I'd like to dance at the Cowboy Bar where they dance in a way that looks so smooth and graceful that it appears there is one person instead of two moving across the floor. I'd like to be held close as an old country love song is played, to dance the two-step, to lay out on a blanket in the middle of a field and look at the Tetons and the color of the night shining on their snowy tops. There are so many things I long for in Wyoming and so many memories have been made, never to be erased. I am thankful for the experience and I claim it as a special gift from God. He gave me all that I asked for and so much more. I feel like I've been baptized in the pure, true, and simple life that God wants all of us to experience. He gave me the opportunity to take a look at the complex world we live in and then look again at the real beauty surrounding us all. My focus has changed from my career, fancy cars, beautiful clothes, and always a desire for more. Life can be so simple, but it's so hard to keep focused on what's important when you're being bombarded each moment of every day by the material world where most of our time is spent. I hope I can carry some of the feelings that I've uncovered during my time at the ranch into my everyday life. I want the experience to be with me always as I continue my journey through life. I thought I was too old and jaded to experience the pure and simple form of life that I'd only glimpsed as a child. I was wrong!! |
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