Sometimes some of us travel to get away. That space-that distance-from our home life offers perspective and breathing room. We get a chance to reflect on what is beautiful and what is broken. Often, we return refreshed, reinvigorated to dig in or embrace or forgive or simply slip back into…

When is enough enough? I’m talking about travel, by the way. We travel away from the comfort of our homes for a change of scenery, a different pace of life, a new perspective. We explore, discover new places, refresh our minds, or maybe even, return to a familiar place where…

PUT ON YOUR OXYGEN MASK FIRST: IT’S NOT SELFISH TO EMBRACE WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY AND WHOLE-ER, IT’S “SELF-CARE” I know what makes me happy and whole. I also know the list of things I need to thrive is not simply filled with selfish wants — and, those things aren’t…

Do what you’ve dreamed. You won’t out dream it. Do it. Do it. Do it. I believe there’s a reason you’ve dreamed it. The world needs what only you have deep in your soul. Do it. Do it. Do it. Step forward. There’s a hand at the small of your back. Trust it. Let go of the stuff tangling your path. This big bad old world needs it…that’s why you’ve been given this dream! Do it. Do it. Tell me you’ll do it.

You’re alive. You’re breathing. You’ve gathered together the remnants of your life — beautiful fragments meant for a new piece of art. Curiosity is returning. Sure, you still trace the scars with the tip of your heart every now and then. To remember is okay. To sorrow and rejoice in the remembering all at once is okay. And, then you begin to prepare a place for it to reside. After all of the digging around, you find some roots remain. So, you water those along with the new life searching underneath. You’ve just heard yourself laugh and the sound startles you, reminds you of what pieces and parts haven’t changed. It’s called healing. It’s called hope, this life after the ashes. The Thin Places

Where else can you watch the “Daddy of ’em All” rodeo and choose from over 100,000 free flapjacks? Cheyenne Frontier Days, the U.S.’s most renowned rodeo, is filled with challenging, breath-stuck-in-your-throat true grit competitions where over 1,800 cowboys and cowgirls and 2,000 “animal athletes” show the rest of us how…

A Trip Down the von Trapp Family Lane The Sound of Music, based on the true story of Maria von Trapp, happens to be one of my favorite movies with its memorable lines: “High on a hill was a lonely goat herd…” “How do you solve a problem like Maria? How do you catch a cloud and pin…

I love lists, especially when I’m packing for a long-anticipated bucket list trip. I’m a kitchen sink kind of packer. Making a list helps me with my packing efficiency, which is a work in progress! My mother—she’s the neat one—keeps handwritten packing lists in her luggage. …

Byline Karen Chronister — Last fall, I traveled to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, after a fifteen year absence. As I deplaned, within sight of Grand Teton National Park, I was delighted again to descend the rolling steps onto the tarmac. Fighting an icy wind, I forgot to look up. When I…