New Year. New Adventures.
¡Feliz año nuevo desde Chile! I’m writing to you from a hotel in Santiago, Chile, where I’ve come to relax, recover and reflect. These past two weeks have been something that I’ve had trouble describing, but I want to try to express a small portion of what I’m feeling to you.
First, I want to tell you how grateful I am that you are reading this and actually care about this newsletter. Even if you don’t open it until later because life is busy, I can’t tell you how much it means to me that there is at least one other person (that is not my mom) who is interested in my writing.
Finding your people in this world can be difficult. We get lucky sometimes, but mostly we have to search and search through frustration and loneliness to maybe find someone that understands us. When you do find one, they are like a natural spring well that you’ve stumbled upon in the wasteland, returning to it for sustenance and life.
This past week I have been on an AireLibre running retreat with the most like-minded people I’ve ever met. Each of us came here for a reason: to run with intention. There are different pockets of people in my life that I share a lot of interests with, but this group seems to share the need and wonder for wild places. They feel untethered to the things that tie us down so often. They are imperfectly perfect; they pursue their desires and their need to see the world and run through it while savoring the culture, the food and the views. All have their own backgrounds which lend to their own perspectives, and yet we have all come to the same conclusion: we are privileged to be here and want to show our gratitude towards the land and each other. We do this by connecting with the locals, with each other and, most importantly, with ourselves.
We run together. We run alone. We run because we have life to do so.
My hope for you, Wanderer, is that in this new year, you find that source of life that reminds you that the universe cares for you and that you are meant to be here. I hope you cherish the ones you’ve already found and care for them as you would an endangered species. I hope you put something wild on your calendar and do everything possible to make sure it happens.
I hope this year is unforgettable.
