Our Spirit Animal

“All good things are wild and free.” - Thoreau

At our previous apartment, we met a few people who worked there who we were sad to leave behind.

John is one of those people who would pull a smile, a laugh, and a good piece of conversation, not matter how he was feeling. We’d become accustomed to every Monday and Tuesday evening getting to say hello, talk sports, and perhaps hear a bit of existential John (if we were lucky). (No, John is not our spirit animal.)

So, saying goodbye to him was the most difficult. The night we knew would be the last time we saw him, we told him about our camper renovation, our excitement for exploration, and our vision for the Wild We Wander brand. His reaction was reminiscent of my dad; genuine joy and amazement, telling us we inspire him. Now, I have zero doubts John is already a driven, imaginative, and passionate person. But, it was exciting to hear one of the first affirmations of our vision. Justin and I have said this many times; we want to affect a change in society’s attitude about being able to pursue your passions. We want people to know that through hard work, determination, planning, excitement, and giving back, you can live the happiest life. Seeing John so amazed and inspired left us smiling with a little kick in our step. 

One of the last things we discussed with John was a documentary on wolves (I believe it’s called Return of the Wolves on PBS) and got to talking about the nature of this majestic animal. Justin and I can relate to the inherent nature and instinct of the wolf; we love long walks/explorations, have playful spirits and fire in our eyes, are fiercely loyal, are inventive and adaptive, and are in tune with a strong life force and our intuitions. The relation can be ultimately summed up to feeling pure, wild, and free. (Also, we sometimes howl to communicate from room-to-room.)

John was talking about the reintroduction of wolves into Yellowstone Park after they had essentially become extinct from hunting and loss of habitat. Since reintroduction to the park, the ecosystem, from elk to plants, has changed for the better (though I’m not an expert, here). Really, this all sparked an even deeper interest to study wolves. Do you have a recommendation on documentaries to watch or books to read? Give me a howl in the comments below!

Coincidentally, I had carved and made this print a few months ago. So, we thought it was a perfect parting gift for John.

 

A photo posted by Wild We Wander (@wildwewander) on Feb 6, 2016 at 12:49pm PST