When you close your eyes, do you think of summer? 

The warmth brings life to your skin. Days so long you forget the night. The forest has life. Your feet go numb in the runoff, creeks turned to rivers, raging through the forest. You slide into a canyon, years of rock paint pictures on the walls. Looking up, you see the trees bend and move with the land. The sun gleams through the leaves, painting itself on the trees.

 If you close your eyes, do you think of winter?

The numbing cold biting your skin. You’re late, but the snow has stuck to your car. Your breath is visible as the warmth of your lungs meets the cold. The crunch of your boots when you walk through the snow. The sky gleams of blues and pinks, announcing the presence of the sun. As it pokes through the peaks, it illuminates the frost floating through the air. When it hides, the skies dance, greens and pinks rippling across the stars.

I close my eyes, and for a moment I can stay. 

The rainbow over the crowd at the concert with my friends. Walking the dirt roads with Dad. The bear spray burning the back of my neck when I pushed through the alders. Seeing Denali from the corduroy with Ty. Breaking my heel on the ice. Sitting at a peak with Faith and Ashlyn. Walking with Colton a mile the wrong direction. Hugging Mom before going to the airport. Standing at the coast as the sun sets, the water flowing through the rocks.

For a moment, have I found my place?

The light that never fades, the warmth that never leaves.