May 21 2010
This is Montana, Video by Bill McDavid
“I’m in love with Montana. For other states I have admiration, respect, recognition, even some affection. But with Montana it is love. And it’s difficult to analyze love when you’re in it” – John Steinbeck from Travels with Charley
There is a pure romance in Montana that does not discriminate in its appeal. What is it about this place that calls out to us from the farthest reaches of the earth? And what is it that makes us feel when we get here that we have found the end of the rainbow? The answer to these questions goes far beyond the obvious.
Even if just in books or in movies we’ve all seen the striking images of the snowcapped mountains and the vast empty spaces that lie between them. We have all heard about the National Parks and the pristine rivers full of overgrown trout. We’ve heard the legends of the untamed wilderness and it four legged inhabitants.
Tales of the Wild West and how it was won captured our imaginations as children. These things can be depicted in photographs and stories but only a night under the stars by a campfire in the Treasure State can illustrate why we call this “Big Sky Country”.
To truly understand what it is that keeps us here one must personally experience the sense of connection we find in Montana. Connection to a rich history and a culture that refuses to change… connection to a sense of community and family that is so hard to find elsewhere in the modern world. We feel a connection to where our food comes from and the sources of the water.
And under it all… is the land and that land is the pedestal upon which we place our lives. This life is short and it is doubtful that upon its conclusion any of us will find ourselves wishing we had spent more time in the office. Instead, we are more likely to regret not having taken more time to enjoy casting a fly on the river, more time to bask in the gifts nature provides us… and more time being with those we love. We are more likely to regret not having spent more time just Being.
There is often talk of pride of ownership but here we think more in terms of pride of stewardship for nothing is truly ever ours to own. This is Montana.
“If we sell you the land, you must remember that it is sacred, and you must teach your children that it is sacred” – Chief Seattle
This is Montana Video by Bill McDavid
