Home is Where the Heart is

I am extremely privileged to say that I grew up in the Sierra Nevadas. To be able to call this beautiful place "Home" is, in my mind, a rare honor. Even as a teenager, I recognized the uniqueness of my childhood and upbringing because of where they were taking place. But, like all teens, I couldn't wait to leave. I yearned to make my own mark in the world and to escape the confines of my little "podunk" hometown. I mean, who has heard of Dorrington or Calaveras County? I hated the idea of staying here for the rest of my life. Sure, I enjoyed everything this place has to offer-- the hiking, the fishing, the mountain bike trails and the mountain climbing, the epic winters and incredible snow that we are so blessed with. So why did I want more? Why was I so eager to go somewhere else and forge a life for myself outside of the one I was so familiar with? I guess the simplest answer is because I was young and naive, and even though I thought I appreciated what I had grown up around, the simple truth is that I took it for granted. It wasn't until years later, when I moved 3,000 miles away that I realized just how much I truly love this place. Every time I hit a wall or endure some emotional crisis, I retreat home to my Sierras to lick my wounds. This place has a power to heal the soul unlike anything I've ever experienced, and time and time again, I always end up back here. A simple hike with my dogs up a mountain ridge will set my spirit soaring. A summer day spent down at the river with my closest friends is a little slice of heaven in my mind. No matter how terrible things may seem, or how down I'm feeling, I can hit the mountain with my snowboard and literally feel the the negative energy melting away into the snow. Looking back now, I can't believe how naive and selfish I was to want to leave this place, to willingly WANT to give up the mountains and their rugged beauty for something more. Now I understand. This IS the "more" that I've been searching for. I've had it all along; I just never realized it. This place has been and always will be HOME, and my heart will forever belong here. Written by Linnea Sword