It was a Saturday without complication.

The crisp pine scented air

filled my lungs with hope,

and the bright sun

lit up the mountains with glory.

While I had work to do,

my spirits felt lighter

than they have for awhile,

even through the phones calls

and classes that took my morning and afternoon.

I watched as my children played,

then swam and waterslid

until we were tired

before taking a family ride

through the beautiful mountains.

Not for the first time

I wondered why we don’t live here,

and couldn’t find a single reason

why not

that mattered in this moment.