POV**: you’re at a campsite just off the highway but nestled in beautiful trees next to a lake. You just tried fixing your bike for 45 minutes to no avail. “Fixing” is an overstatement because really you just got a flat tire, which is basically the most common thing to happen. You’re making curry on a camp stove, but it’s ridiculously windy outside. The trash, spinach bag, and even your small container of milk keep flying away, so you chase them frantically down the hillside. Pure chaos. You manage to finally concoct this meal of crunchy rice and heaps of paneer (honestly pretty good) and eat it next to the lake. Finally, you clean it up, put everything back in its correct organizational bin, and curl up in the sleeping nook in your car. You’re me. You’re lying there listening to Laufey (fun fact, she’s Icelandic) while you watch and hear the wind blow through all the trees above you. In that moment, you’re lovingly grateful for shelter without even trying to feel that way, which makes you giggle. Eventually, you eat some chocolate, brush your teeth, and sleep.

There are a few feelings that nature gives me that I often return to or seek out: realizing how small I am in comparison to the world, laughter that can only come from being removed from society, or caring only about the weather and what to eat for lunch rather than all the silly stressors of typical life. Those are all wonderful reasons to go outside, and I enjoy that each person finds their own. They’re all things that I don’t have to try to feel or intentionally focus on creating but rather, they just organically appear after a few days outside. But, especially after my time in Iceland this summer, I discovered a new addition to this list: gratitude for shelter. It’s this feeling I had last night curled up in my car with the world storming around me.

I honestly think it’s an awesome addition to the list. It’s a different way of understanding and respecting the pure power of the natural world around me and of recognizing the ways we’ve built our world to be able to hide ourselves from that power. So, this morning I woke up and (spoiler alert) it’s still frickin windy. But, to choose whether to get blasted by it on my morning walk or to cuddle back up in the protection of the car is a pretty sweet choice. Both options are good!

This week, I feel like I began to settle into a rhythm here, or as much as one can while being inherently very unsettled. I’ve started to grow a small, assorted community — a few ski/adventure people spread across the country, some random people I connected with at campgrounds, community members at events I eagerly sought out, and my cousin! That feels pretty nice. As the title of this post suggests, I’m working towards a steady simmer rather than an overflowing boil or flat water (as I kept getting when trying to make my curry). Of course, it’s supposed to storm for the next four days and I’m moving locations, so who knows what will happen.

Since my last post, I attended a tree-planting event run by a local adventurer who, in his growing age, has started to organize ways of giving back to the land he had so much fun playing around in. It was really great to meet and talk with local individuals, couples, and kids who were somehow all connected, as well as to sleep in a beautiful valley along this sick trail (it’s now on my to-do list). I got to go on a ski hut trip that was gorgeous. I went on a flat slow run on this dirt road next to a lake that was exactly what I wanted and needed. I biked up in some (snowy) trails and then back on the road, which I thought surely would be down hill and, in fact, was most definitely uphill. It was the hardest thing I’ve done in a long time. I spent a lovely slow morning in the sun cleaning my bike and talking to a few friends on the phone. I got a nectarine milkshake, a flat white from a gas station, and an almond croissant from the yummy bakery in Queenstown.

Anyway, that’s me. Feel free to reach out and tell me about you! It feels a bit self-centered to go on about my life without asking any questions. I guess that’s the form of communication this platform offers. Sheesh.

As I said, who knows what this week will bring. A string of bad weather days really puts a damper on things, but we’ll see! Time to get into a good book. Maybe make some plans. Farewell for now. I wish you all the best! Enjoy some photos below.

Ttyl,

Jaquelin

** point of view, for those who are unfamiliar. Equivalent to, “picture this”