Mar 2, 2023
Today’s guest, Krysten’s oldest son, Ty, loved being in nature.
Having recently graduated from high school in California, he had
planned to go out to Colorado to enjoy the mountains and hike
before enlisting in the Navy. Then the unthinkable happened. On
September 2, 2019, Ty went on one of his frequent hiking trips with
friends and died when he fell in a freak accident.
Krysten and her family were shocked and devastated. Throughout the
episode today, Krysten relates how now, 3 1/2 years later, she is
struggling to find her purpose. Should she work to make trails
safer? Should she train to become a grief counselor? Should she
find some other grand purpose for her life moving forward? She
reminds me so much of the moms I have talked to over the years. She
places this pressure on herself to do more.
As I continued listening to Krysten, I began to see how little
credit she is giving herself. She shared that on her birthday, she
joined Facebook and on her very first post, decided to raise money
for the search and rescue team that found Ty. Over 2 weeks, she
raised $2500. Every year on the anniversary of Ty's death, she has
’TyFest’ where Ty’s friends gather to play soccer and reminisce
about Ty. Every year it looks a little different, but she continues
to honor and remember him. In addition, Krysten enjoys nature more
herself and will go on hikes to places Ty would have enjoyed. On
each special trip, Krysten sprinkles just a few of Ty’s ashes along
the way.
To Krysten, all of these things might seem small and insignificant,
but together they are already giving her purpose. They are all
honoring her amazing son, Ty. Even sharing his life with others on
the podcast helps to give her a little purpose as well. I hope that
Krysten can help to show all of us that finding purpose doesn’t
have to be big. It can be quiet, soft, and beautiful.