The Energy Here Feels Different.
I’m halfway convinced that time moves slower in Bozeman. I’d like to say it’s because of something romantic like how time stands still when I’m hiking or something dreamy like that, but I think I know what it is.
So much of my time in Iowa was spent distracted, glued to my phone, or simply allowing time to pass by without making the most of it. That doesn’t exist here. I think time seems slower because my days are more full. They’re not spent wishing for something to rouse me out of dissociated doomscrolling. My days are full here because countless people, places, and things fill my day.
This place begs my full attention. My moments of free time, as little as they come these days, are quickly populated with possibility. I don’t feel the need to distract myself – I feel the need to live.
Whether it’s a new hike I want to try, a paddleboard I want to buy (which is now on the way), or the countless plans I make with my eleven new housemates, my time is engorged in possibility. It’s overwhelming at times, and I’m still learning how to grapple with it all, but it feels good. It reminds me that I made the right choice.
I still feel the pull of my old habits. I still desire to spend my free time on my phone, but those times come less frequently. Anytime I retreat to my phone or lay on a couch, I’m doing so because I genuinely need a break from my otherwise overflowing life. And that’s a beautiful thing – to live a life so energetic and full that my downtime is spent, not because I need a distraction, but because I genuinely need to recover.
Bozeman, Montana
Bozeman is a small city, yes, but it’s extraordinarily vibrant. There are constant outdoor markets, live music events, and other amazing opportunities in neighboring towns. That, mixed with the fact that ski mountains are 5 miles away from downtown means that my time is constantly spent walking, biking, and hiking. There’s a strong undercurrent of health in the lifestyle out here. Active movement is a part of the culture, and it’s a welcome change to the options of drinking, eating, or sitting that made up 99% of my plans in Des Moines.
I’m still learning exactly where my place is in this town, and it feels much like learning to walk again. I’ve never lived in a town this small, a town this far north, or a town in the mountains. I’m figuring out what that means for me. I find myself drawing inward more, focusing more on what I want to discover about myself here.
I feel more contemplative, more receptive to my dreams, and confident that there’s a way to achieve them. My inner monologue isn’t filled with far-off dreams, but everyday possibilities. My desires are closer here. I can even see some of them towering outside my window right now.
Bozeman has single-handedly changed my opinion about medium-sized towns. I used to think Des Moines was the smallest town I’d ever live in, but Bozeman, at just over one seventh the size of Des Moines, bursts with life. The downtown is small enough that everything is within walking distance but lively enough that there are always a dozen things to do. I’ve had more fun on nights out in the one-and-a-half weeks I’ve been here than in months of living in bigger cities like Des Moines, St. Louis, and Charlotte. There’s an energy here that’s addicting – an undercurrent of freedom that doesn’t rely on money, power, or addictions.
A Welcome Change to My Free Time
I won’t get rich here or find power and status, but that’s how I want it to be. I used to feel forced to prioritize those things, even though I wasn’t attracted to them, but they feel less important now.
I want to run with the freedom that flows from that change.
I’ve spent nights at EDM clubs and the next morning sitting atop a mountain. I’ve woken up thinking I would have a full schedule and ended up doing nothing but chatting with my housemates until nightfall. I’ve picked up new hobbies like mountain biking, paddleboarding, hiking, and hot yoga. I read more, think more, and live more intentionally out here.
I still grew as a person in Des Moines, but my entire focus was on how to change myself. My goals centered on clearing the obstacles keeping me from living the life I truly wanted. I dreamt difficult and wonderful things for myself, but that never changed my day-to-day life. It just made me wish for a different day-to-day.
But here, I can move forward to the next step. The dreams I spent so much time planning for are now here, and I feel an insatiable desire to make the most of it.
The possibilities seem so broad here, so much more varied. It’s not something I expected to come from this town, but it’s something I’m eager to uncover.
The People
I’ve talked at length with my housemates about their stories and what brought them to Bozeman as well. We’ve bonded over our similarities and supported our differences. The common thread in our hostel is that everyone is on a journey, and they are coming through Bozeman because they recognize the important step that this place has on their journey.
Some roommates are summer vacationers who had downtime before school started and wanted to do something impactful with their time. Others are here as part of a journey years in the making. Some can’t even really remember a life outside of travel and impromptu living.
There’s a difference in work styles out here as well. I’m not saying my housemates aren’t hard workers – many of them currently work multiple jobs. But, there’s a different philosophy around it here. People don’t adjust their lives around their jobs, but they adjust their jobs around their lives. They make sure to still spend their evenings in alpine lakes, and then out meeting new people.
Maybe it’s because more free-spirited people are attracted to Bozeman. Maybe it’s because the wonders of life are so much closer to our grasp out here that it’s harder to give them up. Either way, there’s a commonality to the way people fight to live freely out here.
Aside from that commonality, though, Bozeman is a unique mix of people. In Montana, where right-leaning ranchers and cowboys normally reign supreme, Bozeman is a hub of progressive culture. It’s probably mostly caused by the college in town, Montana State, and the many resorts that bring ski bums and seasonal workers to set up shop here. It all brings a mix of personalities that tugs and pulls at one another, but somehow seems to live in harmony. There really is a place for everyone here.
I just need to find my own.
Looking Ahead
I still don’t know how I’ll fit into this new place. There are so many possibilities, and I like it that way. I want to explore the different versions of myself that might exist here. It makes me feel like I’m in a place I could call home. Although I’ve only been here for a week, I know there will be more to discover in the West.
I view Bozeman like a fantastic jumping-off point for me. It’s a wonderful town that turned the spark of adventure I felt in Des Moines into a bonfire, and I want to keep feeding that fire. I want to see how large it can grow. I don’t feel ready to commit to any place yet, but I find it hard to believe Bozeman’s not going to be a place I come back to, even if only for a little bit.
It’s a magical thing to feel so intoxicated by possibility, and at the same time know that possibility is so close to my grasp. That’s how it feels here.
I like it.
