It's a normal Monday night. My wife Haley and I finally sit down — after a long day's work, after wrestling four kids four-and-under to bed, after what seems to be the normal drudgery. We seek rest. Normally we'd turn on our favorite show. But something new was gnawing at me.
I felt like I was doing a lot of good. But I was tired.
I couldn't point to what exactly I was doing.
I was kind of going through the motions.
I longed for something more. Some rest.
Some feeling that I was on the right track.
My brother-in-law mentioned a poem and a treasure hunt. I read the poem. Something clicked. I FaceTimed him until 1 a.m., and we were on a flight to Montana the next day.
We didn't find treasure. But we were in nature, exploring, noticing everything for four days in a totally new place. Something about that moment — this noticing what's right in front of me — changed me.
Dawn sunlight peeks round
In and through the changing leaves.
And it changes me.
Every moment became precious.
As a human, I was made to name the unnamed. To capture every moment fully. We get something like 4,000 weeks to live. I wanted to find a way to lean into that noticing — and to make it a daily ritual, not a once-a-year flight to Bozeman. The one thing that never failed me was noticing the wonder and beauty of God's creation.
That's why Pocket Wild.
Because I want others to find their way out of their missing moments — without having to buy a last-minute plane ticket on a random Tuesday morning. I want this app to be a quiet companion. A small nudge toward living in the moment, and accepting each little daily gift God gives you to be something.
Some app lore here. You'll notice the numbers 228 and 138.
I'm the least "tell me your sign" person you'll meet. But I do love deep meaning and good poetry. 228 means something to me. So does 138. Together they almost make a year. Some of you will figure them out. Some of you won't. Both are fine.
There's a frog in the app named Aldo. He's a nod to Aldo Leopold — a man who lived this idea long before any of us. Aldo lives in the app to nudge noticing.
So I invite you into the world you're already a part of. May this app be a small tool in truly enjoying life.
— Jake Herridge