Under the Big Sky
Montana. It has been on my list forever. I have daydreamed about what it would be like….the sky…the vastness… the openness. Well that all rang true when I received a call from a friend inviting me to Montana completely out of the blue this summer. As my children and friends know I am a big fan of live music…in particular Mumford & Sons. I first saw them years ago up on stage in their suspenders dancing around stomping, singing and playing the banjo like no other. I have since tracked their career and go see them whenever the opportunity arises. Therefore, when I was invited to Montana to a music festival where I found out Mumford & Sons were playing I almost fell over. Good lord - this is going to be amazing I thought to myself.
Montana is everything I thought it would be. Bold, vast, beautiful. As we drove through this great state my eyes were wide staring out the window. The trees, the mountains…..the sky. The sky was unlike any other. It was truly never ending. Big, bold and beautiful. Like life. When you step back… you retreat from the every day nuances, ups and downs, life is big, bold and beautiful and it is what you make of it. We all have our own path, we all have decisions, multiple decisions that we make each and every day that carves out our path….that moves us forward, that propels us into the next step, next chapter.
As I stood under that big sky, listening to the amazing music that was bellowing off the stage with the giant never ending mountains in the background I couldn’t help but think to myself - it’s now, not tomorrow…not next month…not next year to enjoy this life…it’s now. The present. We are in it. There truly was not a moment that went by that weekend where I didn’t feel utter gratitude. Gratitude for everything that has happened in my life - the good, bad and the ugly. The happiness, the highs, the heartbreaks, the loss. This is what it’s all about. I looked up into that vast great sky and said thank you. And you sure as hell can bet that my Mom was looking down with the largest smile on her face listening to that music with me and saying “yes darling, this is it….you’ve got one life…keep living, keep loving, appreciate the wins and know that navigating the tough stuff is all part of it….and it only makes you stronger.” xx