Greetings, friends. I just wanted to pop in and say I’m still around even if I haven’t been present here for some time. My days are currently more mentally taxing than normal and the thought of writing even one more paragraph feels like too much most of the time.
This is a season and not a permanent way of life even though it does feel like it will never end.
My No Spend Challenge kept me mostly at home, resting, reading and turning inward this winter. That’s officially done now but I unofficially haven’t changed much. It’s an act of self preservation at this point but Adventure Season will start in about six weeks and I’m looking forward to it. There are several day trips I would like to take, some new-to-me bookstores and diners and maybe some longer adventures too.
Life will eventually return to normal and I’ll get back on some kind of writing schedule here too. I actually have a ton of travel stories to tell you from last fall but simply haven’t had the mental energy to do it.
Last November I announced that I wanted to hike as much as possible this winter. I had big plans for hitting the local trails.
And then reality set in.
The weekends were too harsh for hiking with frigid temperatures, icy trails and hazardous road conditions that kept us away. Then the snow melted into mud and ice. And then the wind moved in, making it unsafe to be under trees where a falling limb could land on your head at anytime. And then the rain came, ushering in a period of flooding.
Such is life in Ohio.
I did get to walk the Moonville Rail Trail a few weekends ago and then made it to a nearby trail at Old Man’s Cave in the Hocking Hills yesterday.
Fresh air and a good stretch of the legs will change your outlook on life.
The wind is back today but it’s about 65 degrees right now so I turned off the heat and opened a few windows to air out the house.
Sunday is always a reset day for me. Laundry, a little food preps and some small chores help to make the week go more smoothly. Some rest, reading and lots of hydration will help me feel like facing it.
I like habit and routine to keep me honest. I like adventure days for keeping me happy and fulfilled. I also believe in listening to my body and mind and in giving them what they need especially when in a season of challenges.
Through it all Scout has remained my steadfast companion and perhaps the only one in my life with no demands other than dinner and no judgement of me except when dinner is late.
We all need someone like that in our lives!
Go forth and adventure when you can. Dream of better days when you can’t and remember that rest is importantly to feeling well enough to face your day.
I’ll be here taking it easy and gearing up for better days!
Around here, there’s a lot to say and nothing to say about how my time has been occupied and where my thoughts wander. Sunsets are welcome as are good books, long weekends and days when I don’t even consider turnjng on the tv.
Around here, I’m trying hard to dial back my stress levels and all around busyness and am avoiding troubling situations when possible. I’m trying to drill to the core of some health issues and am starting to feel like that is a lost cause.
But, around here, we don’t quit and we don’t lose hope. They say the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, expecting different results. That may be the case but I’m convinced it will work one of these days.
Around here, Scout is suddenly sleeping very close to me at night and I’m drinking in the warmth of his little body and the purrs and soft snores that lend such comfort.
Around here I’m still thinking about the wonderful hike I took Saturday and about how lucky I am to live in a place where nature is so accessible to the public.
Around here I’m still thinking about the art we saw, the book shopping we did, and the great pizza we had from a little place in Columbus on Sunday. These handmade prints are accompanied by an old recording of natives speaking that sent shivers down my spine.
I like art that feels meaningful, that I can find a connection to so it’s not just something on a wall but something I will remember.
What a nice day that was.
Around here, it has been windy and cooler than normal. I’m bracing for the summer that’s to come and thinking about ways I can lean into the misery and try to enjoy it. Stay tuned.
Most of all, around here, I’m thinking about the sacrifices made by the brave men and women who have served our nation over our storied history. We are a young country and one with a government prone to mistakes but I will always be grateful for those who answered the call to serve our nation and I am proud of our military.
I didn’t do anything patriotic this Memorial Day weekend other than think about this very topic, admire the flags our local volunteer firefighters put out, and watch the National Memorial Day concert on PBS.
Nonetheless, I have something to say. If you are reading this and you are a veteran or active duty military, I want you to read these words:
Thank You For My Freedom.
Around here, your sacrifices mean everything.
This week has been busy and starting to feel long enough that I’m not even sure what day it is. Don’t worry, I’ll figure it out but it is a little disconcerting.
I hiked on Saturday and found myself and my bum leg on a rather steep stretch of hill. While better than a month ago, the knee and shin don’t always work together well so that hill was challenging. Rather than worry about it, I just put my head down and kept my eyes on the ground so the sheer steepness and difficulty wouldn’t intimidate me too much.
I made it up with no trouble and was quite proud of this small victory.
This has more or less been my approach to this week. I have mostly been away from home. When I do go home, I feed the cat and go to bed. Work has been busy. I look forward to the quieter days ahead when I can sit at a desk and dig into my to-do pile.
Meanwhile, I’m keeping my head down while I push up the hill.
The bright side is that many hours in the car have given me podcast listening time. The bad news is that creative projects aren’t going so well. It’s hard to feel inspired when you’re in constant motion and tired.
It seems the theme lately has been “I just have to get through THIS and things will be better.” Yet, I get through “THIS” and there’s always something else to distract and slow me down.
Does this sound familiar to you? Can you relate to the sentiment that if it’s not one thing it’s something else?
I’m certain I’m in good company here.
This brings me back to something I wrote earlier this year that encourages us to just do whatever it is we need or want to do because time waits for no one. You can read it here. I actually wrote that story for me because it was something I needed to read at the time.
Evidently, I still need the pep talk because it’s as relevant today as it was last month.
In one of the podcasts I listened to today, I heard an author say that she was having trouble writing and set a goal for herself to write one word a day. Just one. Some days, she literally wrote one word or two. Some days she wrote a thousand words. But in the days she couldn’t muster much, at least she was still doing something.
I liked this.
We tend to believe that we have to do the big jobs for it to count. If you never start a big project because you think there’s no time, that’s not nearly as effective as setting ten small goals and actually chipping away at them.
Remember, even when the hills are steep and especially when the hills are steep, it’s a good idea to keep your head down and focus on one foot in front of the other.
Now excuse me while I go figure out what day it is!
PS- Before you ask, the featured picture is from the hike but not of the hill. It never occurred to me to document that segment of the trail!
After an unplanned break from steady hiking due to a sprained ankle, illness, rain and ice, I finally made it back out with my hiking partners yesterday. We chose an easy trail and did only about four miles so we could ease back into it.
After a lovely, long winter it felt good to be outside for a stretch of the legs. The sun accompanied us most of the way as did a strong breeze. At about 44 degrees, it was comfortable.
Sunshine on your face, clean air in your lungs and dirt beneath your feet.
These things are vital to health and wellness. These things remind us that we weren’t meant to walk on concrete all day and that our connection to nature will help keep us sane and feeling inspired in an increasingly soulless world.
Even though I live in the country where nature is outside my door, access to parks is of utmost importance to me. I firmly believe that public lands like state and national parks and forests should be protected at all costs. Humans have proven they will strip land of resources and build anywhere they can make a spot without care for the needs of the natural world we rely on so heavily for our health and well being.
Our parks and forests are treasures and I am grateful to live close to public lands so I have a place to go for my own physical and mental health.
What’s your favorite hiking spot? I’m always looking for potential destinations! Have you been out on the trail much this winter? Do tell.
It’s the Winter Solstice but it doesn’t feel like it. The sun is shining and the sky is blue. At about 30 degrees, it’s cool enough for a coat but I left my gloves behind when I fed the birds and took trash.
It’s the shortest day of the year but it barely feels like winter.
Don’t mind me. I’m in a snit because I planned to hike today but am stuck inside after an emergency tooth extraction this week. After years and thousands of dollars trying to salvage this molar, it developed some issues last week and before you could say the tooth fairy doesn’t care about adult teeth, I was being prepped for extraction.
So, today I’m home tidying the house, working on a puzzle and making some Christmas goodies. It all works out and it has been a nice day but I would much rather be on the trail right now. We were even going to a bookstore after!
A dear friend gave me the above pictured Christmas ornament yesterday. She’s had a rough couple of years due to illness but she has endured and recovered with such grace that I feel guilty complaining about my own problems.
This gift of hope she gave me will hang on my travel tree as a reminder that some journeys are through uncharted, challenging waters and sometimes through time rather than space.
I‘m proud of her bravery and am so fortunate to receive from her this gift of hope.
So I’m going to stop complaining, turn up the Christmas tunes and make some yummy goodies. Remember there’s always hope for brighter days.