Reflections Most of our inner circle has been remarkably supportive as we trade our Rocky Mountain yuppie life for a life-stage August season on an Eastern Kentucky farm. I’d like to think we’ve even inspired a few friends, in ever how small a way, to reconsider their own trajectories. However, the fact remains: some people […]
Category: Inspiration
The Completion Myth: Finding Peace in a Dream Under Construction
Reflections It’s hard to believe it’s been more than three months already since we moved to Kentucky. We have such exciting dreams for this farm, but the to-do list seems so overwhelming. We have projects great (full renovation of the farmhouse, revitalizing the pond, fixing the driveway, etc.) and small (setting up our grow light […]
Revitalizing Our Old Homestead
Background Briarhopper Ranch has relocated to a ~49 acre property in Eastern Kentucky. We are exploring the land, the history of the people who lived here for generations, and simultaneously launching an overwhelming amount of work to revitalize the land and the structures to make this plot our own. There’s evidence that this land has […]
Forgetting to Breathe
Reflections I was on my way to a 7:00 AM dental cleaning, driving down what used to be a quite 2-lane road, when I realized something. My chest was tight. My head hurt. I was holding my breath! “Breathe!” I reminded myself as I drove down the road. “Just breathe. This will pass.” Our Colorado […]
Let’s Sell the Diamond Ring
So baby let’s sell your diamond ring Buy some boots and faded jeans and go away This coat and tie is choking me In your high society you cry all day – Chips Moman, Bobby Emmons, as performed by Waylon Jennings Reflections It’s not a diamond ring we’re selling, but a 5 acre, forested property […]
Breaking Up With My Professional Doppelgänger
Reflections LinkedIn Identity Crisis I took a look at my LinkedIn profile today. It made me laugh a bit, because I barely recognize that person. The photo, the accomplishments, the network, the work history, it all seems like it belongs to another person. And I guess, in a way, that’s the case. Because even as […]
A Talk With Kate: Letting Wisdom Take a Backseat to Wonder
Reflections A Chance Encounter in the Outdoors On a recent summer camping trip with my husband and friends, I had the pleasure of meeting Kate, a vibrant young woman in her early twenties who worked at the ranch where we were staying. She radiated the kind of boundless energy, enthusiasm, and wide-eyed optimism about life […]
Breaking the Emotional Bond to Place
Reflections When I moved up to Colorado from Texas as a young 20-something, I initially assumed that the Pikes Peak Region would be a temporary stopping point on my journey onward. Perhaps my next stop would be the inland Pacific Northwest (i.e. Idaho panhandle or Montana). As beautiful as Colorado was, my heart was on […]
The Catharsis of Clearing Out Stuff
Reflection Twenty years in one house. That’s a lot of time for a lot of stuff to accumulate. Even as I don’t consider myself a hoarder, clutter bug or even someone who tends to hold onto stuff too long, I’m shocked at the amount of stuff cluttering our home. We are moving soon, certainly within […]
Keeping the Courage to Leap into What’s Next
Reflections The tension between who I have to be at work and who I really am is just getting to be too much. It’s exhausting to be the high performer with the master’s degree and a quarter century of experience. I’m just not her anymore. In fact, I don’t want anything to do with her. […]