This morning, my dear friend Mischelle joined our daily Zoom call from a campsite in the Colorado mountains. Her computer was set up outside.  No Zoom filter was necessary! The view was breathtaking. The morning sun filtered beautifully through a dense stand of tall pine trees.   Her dog Henry was lying at her side, and for a moment, I swear I could feel the cool mountain breeze and smell the fresh pine needles.

The view through the computer screen felt like a familiar Oregon morning.  For me, the peaceful sights, sounds, and scents of nature are an instant trigger for happiness.

Meanwhile, here I am in Las Vegas in triple-digit temperatures.  I wake at 5:00 am to walk the dog in the park. The early morning temperature is 90 degrees.  The remainder of the day is spent indoors, shielded from the oven outside. 

When I ended the Zoom with Mischelle, I deeply missed the freedom of my Oregon days, where I could throw on my hiking shoes at any time and be immersed in some of the most beautiful scenery within minutes.

The “want” didn’t leave me feeling stuck. It energized me.  Instead of wishing for a different life, I used that longing as fuel to design and plan.

Las Vegas winters are incredible, but summers are tough. I started thinking about how to structure a life with the flexibility to escape the desert heat for a few weeks each summer and eventually spend the entire summer in the mountains or near the ocean.

What began as a simple morning catch-up with a friend completely reshaped my mindset and guided me toward a new adventure.