It’s been a while, but I’ve just returned from a roadtrip to my home state of Montana. Going home is always a transformative experience for me. The sky really is bigger there because most of the eastern half of the state is prairie, and you can see for 50 miles in many spots. These grand vistas make me feel like a giant rock has been lifted off my back, and I lose the claustrohobic feeling I’ve had ever since we moved to Michigan. It’s the trees, you see. So many trees block the horizon in Michigan that I typically can’t see more than a half mile at best. This causes me extreme anxiety, I’ve discovered, and cramps my ability to think. A trip home allows me to clear my mind and breathe again. Wish I could do it every year.