perfect

literally ten minutes before i left for the airport to fly to guatemala, i bought a plane ticket to ireland.
therefore:
-i am delightfully travelworn having just returned from 12 incredible days in one of the few places on earth i eagerly want to return to.
-yet, i am preparing to flee the country again in 5 days, to go home to the british isles.
-i am really stressed out financially.
-i am sooooooo (yes, that many os) excited for this forthcoming solo traveling adventure.
-my resolve to become a real adult (after this one more slightly irresponsible choice?) is stronger than ever.
-i’m glad to embrace this un-attached time of life and the part of me that is just a free spirit.
-i am realizing in this in-between globetrotting time how seriously, seriously (seriously!) perfect summer in northern utah is.

on friday night i went down to the old ‘hood to a fictionist concert on the maxfields’ front lawn with catherine and bert. i couldn’t stop grinning. the salt lake summer night was flawless, warm, golden, cozy. there were memories in the pavement and the grass, and just a lovely wafting feeling of home, of ruddy human roots. my heart felt like it was clobbering all my other organs. i had this funny feeling like i could move to slc and spend summer (and i suppose other seasoned) nights like this. what the heck. also. an apostle showed up for a couple songs. only in salt lake. i drove home past familiar places feeling like i could jump right out of my skin. isn’t life so good? i love where i came from.

the next morning my sister saydi, nephew charlie and i went on a hike in our parents’ mountain backyard. it made me wonder how in the world we don’t all live in park city. the weather was so kind, and there were millions of wildflowers and a babbling brook and the summer morning was perfect.

yesterday i went down to mona lake with keri and dani and everything was golden. the mountains and sky reflected in the lake and we ate watermelon and homemade mango salsa. the landscape felt like what i swear pockets of heaven will look like. i did side-flop twice swinging/falling off a tree, but there is nothing more good human feeling than combined pain and laughter, stirred up. the summer night was perfect. we drove home with music and the sunset.

there are so many beautiful places in the world (and i want to see them all), but it’s really really true what they say: there’s no place like home. i love summer days in utah.