AaronMarcelli.org

Posted By Aaron Marcelli on June 17, 2009

This past April I took a weekend vacation to Billings, Montana.  I think I overcame an incredible mental limitation in breaking through the idea that I could never be one of those people who just up and travel anywhere.  In today’s world you don’t have to be rock star or businessman with clients nation wide to be able to enjoy time in any part of our nation (or even other nations).  So having already decided I wanted to travel more this year and do so for reasons other than just visiting family, I decided to begin by going to Montana with a friend I saw researching the state online.

The furthest west I had been was Salt Lake city in High School which was actually a summer mission trip.  I have a list of US cities I want to visit and one of them is Denver, Colorado because I had heard about the vast natural beauty in that part of the country.  Even the words I heard or pictures I saw online though could not describe the atmosphere I enjoyed once arriving in Billings.  So often it’s the hustle and bustle, business driven, fast pace side of America we focus on or discuss.  It was as though I realized there is another way to live and that cities not trying to immolate New York still survive and contain people who are happy.

The cities we toured where peaceful and rich.  The states population is almost equal with that of just the city of Chattanooga and its immediate suburbs.  There was less pollution, with snow capped mountains as the backdrop for every view and high school students who walked home after school let out.  The economy there needs no government assistance because their culture is not that of being so desperate for people to move in and bloom the national business chains that they are willing to approve just anyone for a loan.  We walked the streets of downtown at night, passing groups of friendly strangers and officers on peddle bikes.  I went to a casino where I lost $40 playing Texas Hold ‘Em but left feeling like that money was a steal for the culture and entertainment I received.  And just when we felt we were so removed from an awareness or concern for pop culture or media awareness, we passed the trade center which boasted a sign that Larry the Cable Guy would be performing next month.

We drove through a small town and ate at a sports bar where our waiter explained how every business in the less than 5,000 member city was privately owned.  As we wondered the historic themed streets of the city we came upon the school where many families were gathered for a community BBQ and some soccer.  We drove on to the capital of Helena where we arrived just in time for everything to close because all the residents stay at home on Saturday evenings to be with their families.  My camera continued to click throughout the entire trip in hopes I would somehow be able to capture and revisit not only the images of natural and clear creation, but the perfectly matching lifestyle that came with it.  I could spend my money on many different things that will one day fade, but perhaps there is no better purchase than an experience; an experience that exposes you to a place and life you didn’t know existed, a culture that enriches your life, and a little time away that causes you to question why you have become so engulfed in a self-destructing system of competition and pressure rather than rest and content.

Category: Travel
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