Living on River Time

“River Time” has many different meanings for lots of different adventurers. The common underlying theme among our understanding is fluidity. It acknowledges that some things, if not most things, are out of our control. It acknowledges that the most important part of dropping into a rapid or pulling into an eddy is your mindset. The understanding of this concept isn’t something we are born with. We learn it. We learn to be fluid through and with our environments. We learn this through heart-pounding experiences, tearful failures, exhilarating triumphs, and time-stopping close calls. We begin to understand it by approaching our experiences through the mindset of a lifelong-learner. We begin to respect it by acknowledging that just as a river changes with every day and season, so do our days and our lives.

“River Time” is something we adventurers know well. But it embodies something we can all relate to at some point in our lives, regardless of our status as “adventurers.”

This reality is why our story was born

The journey

In 2018 I started sharing some of my writing with a small group of readers that consisted mostly of friends and family. I wanted to chronicle the adventures of our little family for our friends who were far away. This is still a part of the goal, but it has grown into something more. I hope to share my journey and things I’ve learned along the way in the hopes of inspiring more people to have their own adventures on the water and in the wilderness.

“True belonging is the spiritual practice of believing in and belonging to yourself so deeply that you can share your most authentic self with the world and find sacredness in both being a part of something and standing alone in the wilderness. True belonging doesn’t require you to change who you are;
it requires you to be who you are.” – Brené Brown

I have always questioned if I belong, and where I belong, in the spaces I choose to be a part of: the outdoor community, corporate America, the university system, the writing community, and the list continues. Am I really supposed to be here? Am I worthy of being here? Am I capable of the things being asked of me?  

What I have come to understand is the answers to these questions don’t actually matter. What matters is having the vulnerability to accept authenticity and all it entails. What matters is showing up to the space and being who I am with all of my own chaos, joy, darkness, fear, happiness, and struggle. I hope these stories inspire you to grow in your authenticity and self and to find yourself in the wilderness.