I STILL WOULD HAVE LIKED TO HAVE SEEN MONTANA

Greetings. I’m back. Back again. It’s Sunday night, and shortly I’ll be off to bed to face another dreaded work-week. Vacation is officially over, but before I dwell on the drudgery of returning to the real world, I think it might be nice to hit the high points of my week in Whitefish, Montana.

Please see Adam’s blog for a nice description of most of our events, spread over three posts. (Given his efforts, I think I’ll steer away from a distinct time line of events. Rather – I have some comments).

I really can’t describe how nice it was to get away. I’ve been thinking about it all day, certainly in light of my return to drama here in Seattle, and I think I needed that vacation more than I realized. I was giddy to leave, and even more giddy upon arrival.

I always love how I revert to an older self around my old San Diego peeps (I would say boys, but wouldn’t want to offend Diana – who is clearly part of the group in every way). Within minutes of getting off the plane after touch down (did someone say touchdown? Is it football season already? *Grin*), I was laughing. It feels good to laugh as frequently as I do when I’m around the old crew. My life now tends to be more on the serious side, more of a dramatic nature, and it’s difficult to describe how NICE it was to not take myself so damn seriously for a week. No drama. No over-analysis of my place in the world, no break down of every relationship. Just good old fashioned goofy Mick – at your service.

By the time we were back to the house, I was already singing songs, taunting Iwan, and generally just feeling relaxed. It felt good. It felt really good. I really miss my old San Diego friends – a fact that is incredibly evident every time I see them and get to spend some time with them. I don’t know if I changed or if the type of people around me (currently) have changed, but over the years I’ve consistently felt the happiest in the presence of the old gang. This may be an important consideration down the line.

I’m not sure if I’ve lost a step from my more carefree days or not. It sure seems like that when I’m up here in Seattle. It sure doesn’t seem like it when I’m with the old crew.

Montana helped me realize that a bit. On day 1, it was good to sit outside with Iwan, Adam, and Diana, and just shoot the shit. We talked, we spit cherry seeds (I’m still not sure who was the most accurate), I had a few beers. There was a hammock involved. It was nice to have that vacation feeling – the one where the layers of stress seem to peel away as you sit on a porch and stare out at distant mountains. I was glad to have that feeling again.

I enjoyed my time with everybody. It was fun to walk around rivers and cast a fly rod. I even caught a couple of fish. (Gabe would be proud). I enjoyed sleeping in the car, battling at Euchre, lounging on a river raft, eating too much dessert, not dealing with clocks, singing Mr. Roboto and other songs (as well as my amalgams of songs) all week long. (Adman’s UP-IN-DA-CLUB…) It was nice to be goofy again. Giggily. Playing the game Alibi and watching Iwan stress over the proper “system”. I remember sitting on the porch a few times and staring off into space – my mind was pretty clear. It was like defragmenting the drama out of my brain. Most of all I enjoyed simply talking and joking with my friends. Drama-free. Judgement-free. That’s good stuff.

(Of note, I think my high “nature” point of the trip (given that we didn’t see bears – which is a HUGE minus) was standing up on the glacier overlook at glacier national park. It was a bear (OH!) of a hike to get there, but the view was spectacular, easily in my top 3 views of all time (the others likely in Switzerland and southern Utah).)

I think a valuable lesson from Montana is that I’m tired of dealing with all the drama I’ve created back here. I would like to be a little more care-free for a while. Take myself a little less seriously. Assume that the world is a little less against me. More like my OLD self. I’m hoping the tune of this blog will change a little toward the more positive. It was also nice to catch up on sleep. It’s funny how much sharper I feel when I’m well rested. I’ll have to remember that when I want to stay up late…

Montana is barely 24 hours over, and already I’m looking forward to Labor day, when I get to return to San Diego for 4.5 days. I’m already pumped. I want to feel that way again.