T
here is
something
wonderfully
rebellious about making time for joy.
Not productivity. Not errands. Not the endless list of things we should be doing. Joy, the kind that makes you feel completely, deliciously present. For my birthday this year, I decided to give myself exactly that: a trip to Yellowstone National Park and Grand Teton National Park with my husband, our six-year-old son, my cousin and her partner.
It was a birthday present to myself, but it quickly became something much bigger: a reminder that sometimes the best form of wellness is simply making room for the things and people that make you feel alive.
The road trip through these parks was almost impossible to describe without sounding a little dramatic. Turquoise waters framed by dense forests and towering mountains appeared around, seemingly every bend. Every turn in the road or step on a hiking trail revealed another breathtaking view. It was the kind of scenery that made everyone in the car instinctively go quiet for a moment, reach for a camera, and then realize no photograph could quite capture what was in front of us.