Here We Go
Hey y’all! Welcome to my first blog post, I’m so happy you’re here!
I was having a difficult time deciding where I should focus on for my first post, there’s just so many great options. But I realized you may be wondering, what exactly is The Lost Lion? How did you come up with that? What is it all for? So I figured since I'll be bringing you along on my journeys in the future, the “why” was a good place to start.
Van Project:
I’ll also be restoring this ‘89 Dodge Ram Conversion Van to be my second home on wheels. Hopefully allowing me to discover even more of Texas and beyond.
As far as the name goes, it’s partially an ode to my family and heritage by including our name, which translates to “Of Lions”. My family is also fully responsible for my wanderlust, so it was only fitting to include them. And the “Lost” part?
Well, the idea for this blog came to me at a time of transformation in my life. After spending my teens and twenties waiting tables and bartending in high stress environments, I hit my breaking point. Don’t get me wrong, it was a lot of fun for a very long time. I met some amazing people, made great money, and had the flexibility to travel. Sounds great right?? So what’s the problem? I see your point here, but trust me when I say that it wears on you, and ultimately I just didn’t feel fulfilled. I felt like I should be doing more with my life, giving back, contributing to the world. You know the drill.
So with very little thought at all, I quit my job. By chance I started working for a local outdoor apparel company called Outside, Texas that seemed right up my alley and made me exited about the future. Around the same time as the drastic career change - I got dumped in a text message (insert eye roll here), witnessed too many people that I love battle with their mental health, and to really send me over the edge… my dog/best friend/adventure buddy passed away without much warning. After making changes to better my life, I still found myself shrouded in grief. Not only for myself but for all of those that I’ve seen struggling to find inner peace in a post-pandemic world.
Duke and I
One of our adventures led us to this beautiful Hill Country campground called Stay Oeste in Dripping Springs, Tx. It’s not far from Pedernales Falls State Park, where we spent the day hiking and lounging by the water.
Within a matter of a few months everything in my life had changed completely. I had no clue who I was anymore. My confidence was gone. My direction skewed. My sense of purpose even more lost than it was before.
Lost.
That’s exactly how I felt. That’s all I felt. Lost in life. Lost in the world. Lost in sadness. And I knew I wasn’t the only one. Things had to change. But how? Then it hit me!
I needed to get lost. Wait, what? Hear me out. That fresh air, warm breeze, sunshine feeling can always clear my head and bring me back to life, even if only for a moment. But those moments add up. It’s a reminder that sometimes getting lost can lead you down the best and most unexpected paths. That there is no roadmap any of us should be following.
Now I get it, traveling to all these beautiful places you see on Insta takes some serious time and money. Things that I just don’t have an abundance of anymore and that many people never have had to begin with. So why not explore my own “backyard” a little more? Surely there’s plenty of escapes close to me, just waiting to be discovered. Surely others would like to know about these things too. Working at Outside, Texas proved that too few people know where to get outdoors in Texas, so I’ve made it my mission to tackle that problem myself.
And thus ,The Lost Lion was born. Attempting to shift from lost in life to found in nature. I can’t thank you enough for following along as I navigate through our beautiful state of Texas and beyond. I hope that my adventures inspire you to get outside too. To find that inner peace one deep breath at a time. To appreciate the things we have right here at home.
Let the adventure begin.
