A Life Worth Living

Fourteen bodies, various amounts of photo-equipment, and sleeping gear were crammed mercilessly into a fifteen person van. A small group with a common interest in photography took on the challenge to capture the changing colors of fall in The Great Smoky Mountains. The drive would take approximately twelve hours.
I arrived at our meeting location with all of my gear. Looking around at the unfamiliar faces, I made my way to the van to contribute my share. Everyone else seemed just as excited as me, and I was relieved to see how friendly the group was. As we started our three day journey, it didn't take long before we filled the van with laughter, naps, and endless talk about our personal spiritual lives. Most people would avoid conversations involving spirituality, but the words fell so naturally from our lips, and so it went on for hours. By the time we reached our campsite, these people that were strangers to me just hours before, had become my instant travel companions and friends. The temperature in the Smokies was a shocking nineteen degrees. We steadily built our twenty-person tent and attempted to rest our tired eyes. Only a short hour later, we were back on the road to catch the sunrise at “New found Gap”. The rest of the weekend consisted of little sleep, cold weather, and no showers. There's something so real that happens when you throw people together in circumstances outside of comfort. We were quickly faced with the authenticity of our adventure and it all started with making life more than just a thought. If I'm completely honest, I wasn't interested in the people, at first. I just wanted adventure and travel; I wanted to capture that perfect picture! Looking back I realize that the group I grew closer to over those few days were a part of my adventure. It's something that only we have the memories from, and it bonds us even further than our common interest in photography. The destination is only part of the experience! It's so easy to get caught up in the monotony of life, bills, work, etc. I feel safe dreaming of things I could do because there's no risk involved in dreaming. We encountered obstacles, but I can guarantee my imagination of the mountains is nothing compared to the beauty that was seen in the midst of one. I left my home in Florida with the desire to leave my footprints in the trails of the Smoky Mountains. Instead my life gained thirteen pairs of prints to remind me that it's important to make life more than just a thought.