About Steve

“Every experience is a form of exploration.” — Ansel Adams

I can’t forget that August night in 2013. It still plays vividly in my mind like a bad movie. I hear crickets outside the open window, letting in the warm air from outside. I’m holding my crying newborn, rocking in the chair to some imaginary tune, keeping the rhythm with my shushing. I’m not focused on her crying. Instead, I’m preoccupied with my own misery. My futile attempts at figuring out this new parenting thing make me feel like an inadequate father. On top of that, the intense pressure from my job at a CPA firm is crushing my soul. And tonight I can’t get my daughter to calm down; I think she’s feeding off my stress. Can I not even shush right? My heart pounds faster and my breath is out of control. I’m about to break. I can’t hold my daughter like this; I can’t trust myself that I’ll keep it together. I call out to my wife who takes over for me, and I go to another room and collapse into a full nervous breakdown.

That moment I realized I was spending life on a hamster wheel. My master’s degree in accounting and my CPA license were supposed to buy my tickets to success. They would give me the life I was supposed to have. All along, I had pursued what was expected of me, not what I really wanted. I had forgotten who I am. I was a stranger to myself.

I’ve been writing since I could first lift a pencil, but I never considered myself a writer. At ten years old, I attempted my first short story. Then I coped with all those awkward teenage years by withdrawing into my paper fantasy worlds. Throughout school and college, English teachers and professors tried to coax me on a literary path. But the ambition to earn degrees in business and accounting was too much for a writing “hobby” to overcome.

My nervous breakdown that warm August night taught me a valuable lesson about priorities in life. I found what is important for me and learned to build a life around that. I learned how to find happiness beyond a career and outside of success and failure. I discovered what I stand for. It also served to awaken my passion for writing.

If I could describe me in just a few words, I would say, “Caution, under construction.” I don’t believe I will ever be a finished product. Life is a continual process of trial and error—good judgement comes from experience, and a lot of that comes from bad judgement. It isn’t the easiest way to learn and grow but it’s the best.

And so I’ve learned to follow my passion. Like any good adventure, it hasn’t taken me where I thought I was going but I’ve arrived right where I needed to be.

Adventure is the pursuit of the unknown. It’s following your curiosity. And it’s much more than what travel or the outdoors provides. Adventure is present in ordinary life—in discovering new knowledge, challenging your own attitudes and habits, and clawing outside of your comfort zone. Exploring something new each day can lead to a rich and rewarding life. I write about all things adventurous.

About My Blog

Writing is how I make a difference. The power of words is humbling. They can elicit ideas, convey a mood, evoke emotions in ways other forms of communication cannot. Welcome to my website.

My writing adventures most often fall into these categories:

• Adventures in Career Change – chronicles of my professional career transition away from accounting
• Campfire – short social and political criticisms
• Front Range Explorer – hikes and adventures specifically along Colorado’s Front Range
• Gear Reviews – ‘nuff said
• Hikes and Adventures (and related field notes) – hikes, road trips, Jeeping, and so on
• Sports – go team!
• The Adventure Called Life – when adventure has nothing to do with anything outside…
• The Environment and Politics – reflections on environmental issues relating specifically to government policies
• The Writing Life – John Steinbeck once wrote, “The profession of book writing makes horse racing seem like a solid, stable business.” So true.

When I’m not writing, I’m an operations manager at a regional accounting firm in Denver. There’s a story in every adventure and I enjoy sharing mine with you. You can find my work in The Denver Post, Medium.com, and on several other online outlets. Contact me at steve@stevegrimeswriter.com.