Wilderness is not a luxury,
but a necessity of the human spirit.
~ Edward Abbey

My grandpa used to have a license plate with the letters “GOOLA” and my mom told me that it stood for “Get Out Of LA.” I think I’ve always taken that to heart, but made a lot of excuses as I’ve become an adult. Excuses like time, money, and what other people were doing.

Sometimes I just want to be clean, free from dirt and sweat and feel pretty as I sit in a coffee shop with air conditioning and I don’t think that there is anything so bad about that. I value a good dance class or run for working out; however, I am not going to let anyone judge me for getting into moods where all I want to do is take a leisurely stroll through some downtown streets with my family.

There is something to be said about all of these quiet moments because I feel that they all inspire a different kind of thought process in my mind – but nothing really compares to the beauty and the calm of the outdoors. I fully believe we were created to be in tune with nature and whenever I return to it, I instantly receive the recharge that I so desperately needed.

So what I am here to say today is really just that: get out of LA, get out of your city or suburban landscape, get out of your comfort zone, stop making excuses about the dirt or the bugs and just go explore the wilderness a little bit.

You don’t have to camp to be an adventurer. Take a drive up to some mountains or to a beach or some good trees where no one is really around and just stop. Stop the rushing, stop the lists, stop the worrying. Close your eyes, inhale and exhale, and let the nature give you the reset that you need.

It’s been over two months since I last wrote here and I’ve been dying to come back ever since. I’ve had ideas and things I wanted to say but life got away from me and the words kind of disappeared. I’ve been really busy and distracted by life and some of it has been really, really good and some of it has been really, really hard. I think when you’re experiencing life like that you either shut down the words or they pour out and flood the paper. (Or a blog.)

For me, I let excuses and deadlines get in the way and keep me from expressing the beauty and pain of life and I so wish I could go back and re-write all of that.

Just like I wish I could go back and spend more time in the outdoors again and be the champion hiker that I used to be when I was younger.

So here I am to say, whatever your excuses are for not expressing yourself, cut it out right now. Whatever your excuses are for not exploring the outdoors and enjoying the natural refreshment they give immediately, cut it out right now. Take that road trip – whether it’s from LA to Zion to Denver or just from LA to a remote beach. It might cost you time, maybe some gas, and maybe no one else will want to join you, but the experience that you’ll gain will be worth all of it.