Well this is relatively tricky to begin, and I'm not entirely sure what to say to start, I guess it all gets easier the more you do..
Perhaps I should introduce myself, despite the fact that I'm sure most of you already know me. My name is Georgia. I am 22 years old, living in the Dorset countryside.
Why the eff are you writing a blog now? Well friends, as some of you may already know (shocker if you don't, as it's all I talk about) I spent my Summer in Wyoming, USA. I can genuinely hands down say it was not only the best Summer of my life, but also probably the best time of my life (as of yet).
Having graduated Oxford Brookes in June 2017, with a BSc in Psychology. I'd spent the months prior, and actually a number of years feeling rather stressed, riddled with anxieties and quite frankly pretty miserable at times. I felt I didn't have much direction, apart from that which was assigned to me (school, uni, exams). I was on auto pilot. The cracks started to appear with finals approaching but no paths approaching, except for the extremely generic suggestion of jobs or internships. I felt lost. All I had now was others expectations of what I should do or be, and perhaps they knew best. The opportunity then arose for me to spend the Summer on a ranch in Wyoming. Something I had always wanted to do but now faced with it, I got cold feet and backed away from the idea.
'Yeah, no thanks, not for me, I'd rather spend the Summer at home with my friends'.
I was adamant about this. However, life happened and with a few nudges from my parents, I gave in. I would go to make them happy. How naïve I was to the fact that it would ultimately make me happy.
So off I went, July 2017 to Jackson Hole, WY. I hopped on the plane, and actually felt pretty excited. However, as I boarded my connecting flight from Denver to Jackson, the anxieties started to appear. Who on earth was I even meeting at the airport? I am away for 3 months, living on a ranch in the middle of f**king nowhere. Sh*t. As much as I'd thought about it, these thoughts consisted simply of landscapes, horses and cowboys. Yet I'd avoided all concepts of the realities.
Well f*ck you're almost there. Be positive. You're going to be ok.
I was right. The next 3 months flew by and turned out to be the three happiest and most positive months of my life. I hiked, I rode, I laughed till I peed, I drank, I ran, I chopped wood, I fixed things, I learnt and I loved. I was no longer lost and no longer miserable. Just happy.
The day for goodbyes arrived and I cried for 4 straight hours on the plane. I would like to thank now the lady who offered me her bagel napkin (still filled with sesame seeds) to wipe my tears, and the flight attendant who supplied me with 2 large glasses of red wine and a complimentary whiskey.
A brick of American Spirits and a bottle of Crown, helped me in my pitiful wallowing for the next couple of weeks. I was a barrel of bloody laughs. Naaat. All I felt was this restlessness to get back out to Wyoming, but so helpless as there seemed to be barriers at every turn. Visas, money and reality.
However, my life took shape again, and I molded back into old routines. Seeing my friends and making new ones had a positive affect and I no longer thought of my time away with desperation but rather with a comforting nostalgia which managed to break a smile.
Yet, now with no path and no money. It was time to do something. So, I worked, and I earnt. I got an internship, and I learnt. But both times I was sat in an office, staring at a computer and day dreaming of the West. The only place I really wanted to be.
So do it then. Go back. If you can't shake the feeling, act on it. If you don't act, you won't know, and if you don't know you'll always think what if.
So that brings me to now. Why I've started this blog and what I am setting out to do. I plan to hit Wyoming at the end of July, then work my way down through Utah and Arizona, back up through Colorado and then finish in Jackson, WY. I want to hike and camp in National Parks, visit ranches, reunite with old friends and finally just live the good life.
So that's what I will do.
"The mountains are calling, and I must go" - John Muir
You are very much invited to follow along the way, which will consist of copious amounts of planning, saving and of course the adventures. I'm gonna keep everything real, no masking the holes in the road. I ultimately hope that you'll be able to learn from my mistakes, but also be inspired by my experiences.
So here goes..
G x
The Road Back Begins:
Baba O'Riley - The Who
Free Bird - Lynyrd Skynyrd
Sultans Of Swing - Dire Straits
Space Oddity - David Bowie
You Got It - Roy Orbison
I Got Loaded - The Wood Brothers
Right Down The Line - Gerry Rafferty
You Can Get It If You Really Want - Jimmy Cliff
Wonderful World - Otis Redding
Is This Love - Bob Marley & The Wailers
https://open.spotify.com/user/gccc10/playlist/4cBw07EiMSW2SOtDAeD00H?si=kpsPsWneS6OgyinevfZGYQ
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