My departure date drew closer and closer, and I could hardly wait. My heart has been pulling me west for some time, waiting for an opportunity for the rest to follow. A long trek from Virginia went by quickly in just a few stops with old friends in some beautiful places. My journey was coming to a close as I was passing through Colorado, and eventually I realized that the objects I was seeing weren’t clouds anymore, but white top mountains. The first glimpse of the Rockies is something I won’t forget, and I knew I was in the right place.
Monday rolled around and it was time to get to work. This first week has been a whirlwind of introductions, meetings, manuals, and papers. I have been on acronym overload for the past four days. Although it’s been such a short period of time, I have already gained a clarified view about the BLM’s purpose and function. What was a cloud of complexities…is still a cloud of complexities, but I have begun to wrap my head around it, teasing apart the vastness of BLM’s tasks and obligations.