Who & Why?

A year ago, we found ourselves - literally, and somewhat figuratively - in a quiet, 270° bay on Colombia’s remote and wild Pacific coast. It was idyllic for sure: tropical beach, humpback whales swimming in with their calves, water flowing from the Choco forest so clean and clear it’s quaffed straight from the source.

But, it was much more than just the ideal of an escape, a vacation, a tropical paradise. At Morromico, the Montoya family welcomed us with open hearts and minds, pulled us into their fold, showed us the unique life they’ve cut from the jungle of the Choco, and reminded us of that oft-forgotten adage of simplicity: less is more, and more almost always leads to less.

Their lives, full of challenge and hardship, were simultaneously overflowing with joy. Joy burst from the patacones Gloria made; it flowed through the micro-hydro plant Pablo and his dad, Javier, built on the property; it exploded with Melissa’s excitement about a female humpback diving, belly-up, just inches under our 15-foot skiff; joy was etched in our footprints pressed into the coarse-sand beach at sunset; and it was strangely and profoundly present in the Montoyas recounting of the sudden and tragic death of their father, Javier, a year before.

In that brief interaction many miles from home lay the seed of important questions:

• What is joy?

• Why don’t we have more of it in our lives on a daily basis?

• And, how can we find more of it?

We’ve always been travelers. Wende has worked for years in international development and health with Water For People and Maia, and Jake’s career as a climber, photographer, and filmmaker have taken him across the globe. Lila learned to walk in Orissa, India, and endured torrential rain on Mt. Kinabalu at 7 months of age, while Ryrie has bodysurfed in the Choco and found his namesake pub in the heart of Edinburgh.

But, after each journey, we’d quickly settle back into life at home, the whirlwind of life tugging us back into the maelstrom of too much to do with too little time and seemingly never enough resources. In short, we lacked joy.

So, a year ago, a plan was hatched: We’d get out of our comfortable cocoon in Evergreen, Colorado, to seek some answers. We’d hit the road, not as travelers, not on vacation, but instead on a mission to learn, to understand what the Montoyas built in Morromico - so much with so little - that we struggle to find at home - so little with so much.

Our journey will take us across the globe, discovering new places, embedding in places and with people, from Europe to South America, Africa to Asia, and lots of stops in between.

There’s five of us on this adventure. Jake, Wende, Lila, and Ryrie all in search mode, excited and nervous, ready and reticent, a bundle of emotions all at the same time. And, with us, our stalwart, 13-1/2 year old best friend and guru, Pema. As we search for joy in the far reaches of the world, I think we all know that the answers we seek are right there in front of us, evident in Pema’s eyes, in the wag of her tail, the love in her heart, and the trust in her soul.

And so begins the journey…