Nothing is Impossible

The first time that I saw the desert was in 2012, when my "then" boyfriend, soon to be fiance, surprised me with a trip to Las Vegas. As soon as I stepped out of the airport and felt the hot, dry air, I fell in love. It didn't matter that it was late at night, or that I could only see the city lights, I knew I never wanted to leave the desert. We left the airport and headed to the MGM Grand to check into our room. After a brief tour of the casino, and picking my jaw up off of the floor, we headed to bed for the night. The next morning, without hesitation, I opened the blinds in our room to see what our view looked like. I distinctly remember sitting on the ledge by the window with my face practically plastered to the glass. My eyes zeroed in past the iconic cityscape, and landed on the glorious mountain range that was perfectly positioned in the distance. This view instantly captivated me, and in my trance-like state, I felt the strongest desire to drive out to those mountains and spend forever exploring them.

Fast forward to 2018, and my "now" husband and I decided to take a road trip through western Nevada. Our first year in Las Vegas was still fresh in my mind, and I longed to be surrounded by the mountains and desert again. By this time, we had begun entertaining the idea of relocating out west, and we decided to take this opportunity to see if Nevada was the right fit for us. While we made our way from Reno to Las Vegas, which included stopping at some of the coolest towns along the way, I was finally able to truly see the desert. I had this image in my mind of my husband and I driving along Route 95 with nothing but sand and Saguaro cacti on either side of us. If you've been to Nevada, you know that this is not the case. We saw plenty of sand, but no Saguaro. The vegetation that we did see, however, was so unique to me... as someone who grew up in the midwest, aka: Cornfield Capital, USA. In addition to various types of succulents and plants, we saw quite a few animals as well. I will say, there is nothing quite like seeing a herd of wild horses running alongside the road in sync with your car!

Hit that fast forward button again, and we find ourselves in 2019. The plan of moving out west is still being worked out, and this year we decided to take another road trip to see more than just Nevada. One of our stops on this trip was Lake Havasu City, Arizona. If you have been to this city, you understand what a breathtaking gem it is. I have only been able to come up with one word to describe

its beauty: otherworldly. To point out the most obvious, the fact that a gorgeous lake exists in the middle of the scorching low desert is a miracle in and of itself. We checked into our hotel and headed to one of the beaches for a short swim. As indubitably as if this happened earlier today, I remember wading into the crystal clear lake and staring out over the ethereal mountain range that enveloped me. The water, mountains, and sky were each a different pastel shade, and they blended together to become the most amazing ombre you could imagine. While I was standing there taking in this beauty, I noticed a nearly full moon high in the sky. Though this may be a common sight for some, I had never taken the time to appreciate this uniquely beautiful sight. In that moment, I realized that the only thing that captivated me more than the mountains and desert, was seeing a visible moon in the middle of the day, WHILE surrounded by mountains and desert.

Reminiscing on all of these experiences got me thinking: why am i captivated by the dry, desolate desert, brooding mountains, and a daytime moon? In the desert, against all odds, life finds a way to thrive. Towering mountains block everything that lies behind them, as if the world ends at their peaks; with their help, however, you have access to views of this world that you could never even have imagined. And, in the middle of the day, you expect to look into the clear, blue heavens and see the sun burning bright; you don't expect to see the white glow of the moon. All three of these phenomenons, if you will, prove that within the seemingly impossible, lies the possible. Life will always be able to adapt to new surroundings, no matter how harsh. Conquering something so large and in charge (haha) allows you to see a much larger picture. And, even when we can't see them, the sun and moon are always there waiting to bring another day and night.

This message rings true for ourselves as well. Sometimes we get so caught up in "I can't," or "that won't work out," that we forget that things are always possible. The catch is, we have to be willing to try. The wants and desires in our lives that seem so out of reach, are typically the things that inevitably bring us the most gratification and value. The problem with going after these dreams, is that they take a tremendous about of strength and bravery to capture. When the negative voices chime in and tell you that something is impossible, just remember that those voices, that seem so sure of what they're saying, are actually the voices of fear. So if there is something that you want to go after, or something that you want to change in your life, just remember that it IS possible. And as George Addair said, "everything you've ever wanted is on the other side of fear."


xoxo