the story behind marty

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Marty is a little stuffed white buffalo I found at a trading post in South Dakota during my first cross-country road trip in my newly converted van with my girlfriend. Right before I left, my brother Danny had started struggling with his mental health. He wasn’t in a place where he could come with me, and I knew how much of the world he was missing while he was trying to get through what he was going through. So while I was on the road, I called him and asked him to name the little buffalo I had found. He named him Marty.

So on the rest of our trip, Marty came everywhere with us. We took pictures of him in as many places as we could so Danny could experience our roadtrip through him. Mental health is a big struggle for him & sometimes the world can feel like a place that’s too big, too scary, or too far away to step into. So we had Marty go for him.

Sometimes, you’re not ready to take the journey yourself. And that’s okay. Marty became a little reminder that the world is still out there waiting. That there are still places to see, stories to hear, and moments worth holding onto—even when you can’t imagine getting there yourself.

The birth of a sacred white buffalo is a sign of hope and an indication of good times to come.

So if you’re struggling right now and the world feels too big, you don’t have to see it all today. Let Marty see it for you.

Until you’re ready to see it for yourself. 🤍🦬

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