We spent the last few weeks of 2025 in Patagonia. 

Over the course of 2 weeks, I experienced the distance between home and the lands that we were exploring in so many ways. There was the physical distance between what is familiar/known and what is unfamiliar/unknown. And the distance caused by differences in language, culture, custom, and landscape. And the reality of being in the southern hemisphere to honor the summer solstice, experiencing 18 hours of daylight while my friends and neighbors in Maine honored the returning light during an 8 hour day. 

Amidst these true and gaping physical distances and cognitive differences, I experienced a deep sense of connection, groundedness, and belonging…

I had been looking for spring in the woods 

and in my heart.