“You let time pass. That’s the cure. You survive the days. You float like a rabid ghost through the weeks. You cry and wallow and lament and scratch your way back up through the months.
And then one day you find yourself alone on a bench in the sun and you close your eyes and lean your head back and you realize you’re okay.”
– Cheryl Strayed
Wow. It has been a while, almost 3 years. I thought about it at times but never truly pursued it other than a few rough drafts written and deleted. Although I keep a daily journal and have many thoughts that range from obscure to philosophical to the completely inappropriate, for the most part, I have not felt the calling to share anything. And I feel if I am not drawn to it, it comes off as contrived. I can fake a lot of things but sharing my life and intimate thoughts with you is not one of them. So, it might be another 3 years before you hear from me again, but for now, this one comes from the heart. If it helps even one person, then it is all worth it, even if that one person is me.
Way back when, in another time and place, I used to ride my bike to my favorite gas station to buy beer. When I was there, I would flirt with the cashier who rang me up. She was cute, kind of shy, and much like me, I could tell she was fighting an inner battle. I didn’t care. If anything, that made her more attractive. At the time, I was searching for someone whose internal demons played well with my own. Three or four times a week, I would go up to that store for a 6 pack of Dale’s Pale Ale and some friendly conversation. I often went even though there was plenty of beer at home. And then one day, I went to the store and a young man was working the register, a baseball player from the local college. I never saw my friend again. I heard she moved away and so did I. For years, we did not talk. And then we reconnected online after she somehow discovered my blog and reached out to thank me and tell me my words had an impact on her. I have thought a lot about her since then and how her simple words flipped a switch that let me know the time was ripe to tell another story – one I wanted to keep to myself but in my head and heart could hear screaming to get out.
Before I get into it all, perhaps a recap is in order. A lot has gone down since I last spoke to you in early 2021. But, since I am writing this from Las Vegas, allow me to take you even further back to the first time I visited this magical wasteland of a town. Las Vegas and I made our initial acquaintance in 2008 and from that first visit, I was in love. (long-time readers may recall I even wrote about how fond I was of Sin City on this very blog back in 2018). In 2008, I was halfway through law school and loved (like L-O-V-E-D, LOVED) to drink and party so the city and I got along swell. I visited a few more times over the years and with each subsequent visit, my fondness multiplied. Watching the sunrise drunk-walking the Strip back to my hotel room, the taco stands, and the nearly unlimited array of options available to outdoor lovers of all stripes. What was not to love? The 110-degree temperature? Please… I grew up in Georgia. I will take 115° in the desert over 95° with 75% humidity any day.
Fast forward to the summer of 2019 and I found myself back in Sin City – to try out for a guide position on a backpacking trip to Mt. Whitney. This time, it was almost too much to take. My love for this desert wonderland had only grown even though my inclination to drink and party had dwindled due to 3 years of abstinence.
Like it was yesterday, I remember walking out the doors of McCarran International with an expedition-size backpack full of everything I needed for my week-long job interview in the Sierra Nevadas. That hot desert wind hit my face and feeling a profound sense of belonging came over me. I had what I called “itchy feet” and though I did not know exactly where I wanted to land, this job opportunity and this enchanting city seemed like the best answer I had come across in a long time. I called my mother that night and told her I had found my new home. I helped guide that backpacking trip, was hired shortly thereafter, and felt thrilled with my prospects of a new home and career. And so, I went back to Georgia to wait out my lease so I could write the next chapter of my life. And then…life happened. I met a girl, fell madly in love, and abandoned my plans to move out west.
A year later, in the fall of 2020, I found myself guiding a backpacking trip in Shenandoah National Park. Before the trip started, I was standing in the lobby of my hotel when I heard a familiar voice call my name and I turned around to see one of the participants from that Vegas trip the year before. We chatted a bit and then came one of those life moments that I don’t know I will ever forget.
She asked me – “How do you like living in Vegas?”
“Living in Vegas?! What are you talking about?? I don’t live in Vegas, I live in Georgia, you know this…” came my response.
“Well, when we were on that backpacking trip out west, you kept talking about how you were going to move to Vegas, how you loved it there. I just figured that’s what you did.”
And standing in that hotel lobby, I realized I had forgotten my dream. I had love and life in Georgia and I went back there after my time in Virginia was done but I never forgot that interaction. After that, time continued its inevitable march.
I wrote the last post on this blog in 2021 and since then, I climbed some more state high points (at 37 currently), set a personal best in one of my favorite 50Ks, went skinny dipping in the Colorado River, worked as an attorney for hire when there were no guide trips available, interviewed for dream jobs that would allow me to leave the legal field behind for good, doubted my religion, relished my first taste of guiding in Yellowstone, got my clothes stolen from a laundromat, completed by first and second Rim to Rim to Rim trek in the Grand Canyon, built a laughable smoke lodge with one of my best friends, shared my favorite place in the world with a dozen new friends, had a soul-shaking encounter at a car wash in Kanab, Utah, found my dream job, lost the love of my life, put my stuff in storage and hit the road for 5 months of guiding all over the American Southwest, living in hotels and Airbnb’s and finally settled down in Las Vegas. This is where this story finally gains some traction.
Life’s contradictions became evident within weeks of settling into my dream city. Like Vegas itself, my new life offered a buffet of options, from the awe-inspiring trails and mountains to the vibrant sunsets that could rip your heart out of your chest. Yet, not long after moving into my new digs, three miles from 50,000 acres of stunning protected desert landscape, I fell into one of the darkest pits I’ve ever encountered in my life. A. scary. deep. pit. Some combination of moving to a new city where I had no friends or family, confronting the reality of the relationship I had lost, and thinking about the opportunities I had squandered along the way pulled me down to depths I had not encountered since my brother passed away nearly 20 years earlier. At least then, I had alcohol to help take my mind off the pain. Some mornings, it was all I could do to grab my work computer and phone and walk the 20 steps to the living room couch. I thought every day, sometimes every hour, about drinking again. Texting my sponsor in southeast Georgia became a lifeline, an unspoken plea for strength. I never told him the difficulties I was having but simply communicating with him and knowing that he too had at one time felt his life was over allowed me to borrow some of his strength. I narrowly avoided that nearly irresistible impulse to drink again. I went to meetings. There, I was reminded that the thought of flushing seven years down the toilet with a case of beer was too much to stomach. I would lay on that couch and try to find some usefulness for my situation, but it was a forsaken cause. I had lost what I thought was my forever person and I could not find happiness in this new life I had dreamt of through the fog of confusion and pain that hung on me like a heavy anchor.
I went through the patterns. I struggled mightily. I cried myself to sleep more times than I cared to count. I was working as a guide in some of the most beautiful places in the country and living in this new, amazing city, this magical desert oasis filled with trails, mountains, and every kind of taco known to man. And I was as close to miserable as I have ever been in my life. I told almost no one. I kept it to myself. What was I supposed to say? Everyone I talked to thought I was living the dream, I saw no benefit to my cause in altering that perception. So, I slogged on through my puddle of shit, resigned to this life of hiding my experience from everyone around me. And slog I did. Minute by minute, hour by hour. Day by day. Forever sinking deeper into that living room couch whenever I was not leading a trip in one of nature’s timeless treasures.
And then one week…I met an angel in the desert. I know how ridiculous that sounds, believe me. This angel did not have wings or a halo, she loved loud rock music, and she ran like the devil but I am certain that our paths crossed as a result of some kind of divine intervention. My angel took me under her wing, she showed me compassion, she made me smile again, and she constantly reminded me that I had so much to be grateful for. Along the way, she introduced me to her rowdy, ragtag crew, and through them together, I found a new reason to get off that couch– the Streakers Club. I know what you’re thinking, right?! The best way to claw out of a sinkhole of depression is to go streaking?! Well…yeah. Sorta.
The streak I speak of relates to a daily devotion to purposeful movement. To rise every day and no matter what happens, find time that day to physically propel yourself at least one mile, more if you can, but at least that. And to do it the next day and the day after so you create a streak. And so, on March 13, 2023, after 4 months of wading through my puddle of shit, I got up at 5 AM and ran 5 miles. And I watched the sunrise that morning. And I smiled. And I cried. And for one of the first times, I felt thankful for that hole I was in. It had made me feel things I would never wish on anyone, but it also made me feel SOMETHING and for that I was grateful. That day, I realized that feeling bad is better than the alternative – being dead and not feeling anything at all. Kara Goucher once said “Your greatest runs are rarely measured by racing success. They are moments in time when running allows you to see how wonderful your life is.”
Thanks to that angel and her crew, today I am on day 295 of my streak with no end in sight. Some days, I run 30 miles, other days, I slip and a foot falls in that pit and the best I can manage is to walk laps around my condo until I reach my mile. When I’m busy with guide work, I might get that mile at 11:30 at night or by walking circles in a parking lot while my guests go on a tour. But I get it. No matter what. And it makes me immensely grateful for that puddle of shit. It may sound silly to say, but it literally changed my life. Joining that club gave me a purpose. No matter how shitty my day was, I knew I had to get that mile somehow. Every day, I found fellowship with people from all walks of life who are dealing with illness, injury, sick parents, sick kids, setbacks, work travel, lack of motivation, and the list goes on and on and on. Those people found purpose and fulfillment by sticking to their commitment regardless of what life threw at them. And I learned that I could too. It seemed so simple, to get outside and start moving. It is not a cure-all, but it is a damn good start. I would call old friends on my walks, I would discuss life’s challenges with people on runs. I fostered new relationships, started to smile more, and over time, that godawful anchor began to loosen its chains.
And here I am now, writing this to you. The journey that took me here was chock full of challenges. The road took many an unexpected turn.
Finding my life’s calling, moving to my dream town, and venturing into the enchanting landscapes of places like Yellowstone and the Grand Canyon all painted a vivid picture that to the outside world may have looked like I was living the dream. Yet, within that dream lurked a nightmare, a chasm that threatened to engulf me. With a clearer mind and understanding, I now realize that the only thing that truly pulled me from that pit was time. It is not the 295 day streak so much as it is the 295 days. Those things and people I encountered along the way helped provide the foot and handholds for my journey but it was the excruciating process of letting the days pass one by one until the wound started to heal that ultimately brought me to the place where I am today, able to finally share this story with you.
I feel I have now begun to find my place of rest and stillness in the vast expanse of the desert that cradles Las Vegas. In a place where plant and animal life endure the relentless heat and scarcity of water, a profound lesson in resilience is slowly unfolding before me. My narrative mirrors the struggles of the arid landscape I now call ‘home.’ I cannot imagine being anywhere else and am thrilled at the unfolding of my new life. Bring it on, every bit of it. My journey through this chapter of life’s hardships has taught me that, like the hardy flora and fauna of the desert, survival is possible even in the toughest times.
I have chosen to share this difficult and at times embarrassing retelling of my journey in the hope that it resonates with those of you who may be stuck in your own dark place. Life is challenging, but in the sharing of our experiences, we find connections and the strength to move forward. I encourage you to reach out if you’re navigating a similar road. Together, we can illuminate the path toward healing and light.
Even better, come see me. Let me take you up on one of my favorite mountaintops outside the city and we will watch that soul-stirring desert sunrise together. I do not want anyone reading this to feel you have to walk that path alone or that it isn’t worth seeing what is on the other side of that tunnel. To borrow a quote from Hunter S. Thompson, a man who loved Las Vegas even more than me, – “We’d be fools not to ride this strange torpedo all the way out to the end.”
Thanks for joining me and I hope it is not so long before our paths cross again.
Yours in recovery and redemption,
The Juandering Advocate