the footprint you leave behind

Once upon a time, four hundred years ago, ferocious storms swept across the sea coast of North Carolina, leaving behind the wrecked ruins of Spanish fleets and the drowned remains of sailors headed for a new world. Included among the goods carried on these ships were small and beautiful horses, destined for a life among those brave and hearty enough to settle in the rugged wilderness of the Indies and what would one day be the Americas. Luckier than most men, legend has it the shipwrecked horses swam to safety on the sandy shoals of small barrier islands that guarded the mainland. These horses, survivors to the last, not only adapted to their surroundings, learning to drink and filter sea water on their isolated and deserted stretches of beach, but also to digest and glean nutrients from the tough grasses that grew in the sand.

To this day, along the Outer Banks and Crystal Coast of North Carolina there are wild horses that roam, reproduce, delight and live off the land. They are not cared for by humans and are not cured when sick. Human intervention only comes in the form of birth control administered to select females to prevent over-population. Four hundred years ago these horses, pampered and destined for greatness, instead were forced into survival of the fittest. What they have left behind is a lasting legacy that we can now enjoy and appreciate.

What is our connection to a place? How did we arrive where we are today? What did we bring with us from where we were before? What do we do when we are faced with the challenges of thriving in a place, armed only with what we carry within?

How do we react when an unexpected storm changes the course of our lives?

And, most importantly, what legacy - what footprint - do we leave behind us when we go?