A Reflective Walk

 

In the spirit of yesterday's recentering, I decided that today I would do something I haven't done in a very long time, which was to walk one of my favorite trails.

It was probably the best decision I've made all winter.  The air was so refreshing and the dark gray clouds of a cold front rolling in set an almost magical quality to the skyline.  My soul must have desperately needed the openness--the feel of chilled wind on my face--because I felt like I was drinking in freshness.

 

This feeling of freshness is a bit ironic considering the last time I was on this trail.  The truth is that I haven't walked here in almost exactly a year.  I remember the last time like it was yesterday.  I had just finished up an appointment with my doctor where she explained ever so plainly [I'm paraphrasing now] that my husband and I had better chances of winning the lottery than conceiving a child.  

It was news, you can imagine, that has profoundly impacted the last year of my life.  And it was news that was anything but fresh.

 

I mention this for a number of reasons.  One is that a lady is equal parts elusive and vulnerable.  And today I'm practicing the latter.  And two is that it is an important part of my story.

And that story is one of a long season of dormancy.  Like the grasses and trees from these photos taken on my walk, I have spent the past 2+ years resembling a barren prairie.  Oh yes...I know that this lovely blog has begun to show the pale pink of bloom, but it has taken many, many months to get here.

 

And really what you see now are just the early buds--a hopeful promise of what is to come.  Many of my dreams for this little online space are yet to blossom--still waiting for their figurative spring.

 

And also waiting for figurative spring is my family--my chance to be a mother as well as a wife and writer and creator of pretty things.  This endeavor I'm afraid I have less control over, but it is a piece of my heart nevertheless.  And it encourages me that one year later, on this very trail, I was able to feel freshness and openness instead of the crushing weight of sorrow that I felt when last I tread here.

So, I suppose my first 24 hours of "freshening up" for a new season have been fresh indeed.  So fresh, in fact, that I've made a decision to return to this trail as often as I can during the next several weeks.  Because I want to witness day-by-day what it is like to come out of dormancy.

And maybe I'll see it happen for me, too.

After these Messages...

I'm not stalling because I don't have the new series completed yet.

Really.

I'm not.


That's Not the reason why I want you to view these lovely pictures, taken this weekend on a walk just outside my back door.


I want you to see how beautiful the countryside is.


And ponder the wonder of nature.


And perhaps occupy you until I post again later today...

So, in the meantime, please feel free to view more of these lovely shots from our nature walk by visiting me at Flickr (click here!).

And to read an introduction to the new series (Starting Today!), come back and visit me here. I promise I'll post it.

Just as soon as I figure it all out...

Staycation On Foot

If I were your staycation travel agent, the first order of business I would tend to would be to schedule lots of foot time for you. Foot time? you ask. No, I don’t mean pedicures (although certainly they should be a staycation staple, too). I mean walking on foot through your town. Or biking, which I guess would be on pedal--but the same principle applies.

Why on foot? Because I’m convinced that experiencing your corner of the world at a slow, one-foot-(or pedal)-in-front-of-the-other-pace is the best way.

A Summer on Pedal
It was a few summers ago that I decided to give my car a rest and bike to and from work everyday. My office at the time was located on the opposite side of town from where I live, giving me a chance to wheel my way through miles of neighborhoods. It was officially that summer that I fell in love with Fort Collins, no doubt because of the bike.

There's Just Something...
There’s just something about getting outside of your car and wandering the streets. You notice things--like a cute boutique that you somehow missed, or an ice cream parlour that always has a line out the door. Furthermore, you get to smell the linden trees in full bloom in the summer, and the fresh scent of cut grass, and hear kids playing in the park as you walk or ride by.

And because you’re on foot, you find yourself slowing down and stopping at the cafe for a coffee instead of rushing to work. Or stopping to look at a beautiful garden with your kids. Or catching your foot in the spray of sprinkler on a hot afternoon. You know--all those ridiculously simple things that make you feel alive, and appreciative of nature and summer and grass and sun.

Grab Your Sneakers!
During the next week and a half, I’ll mention a few more specific activities that you can do on foot or bike in your community to soak up the summer, including garden tours and gallery walks. But for now, as your trusted staycation travel agent, I’ll simply say get your sneakers and head out on foot!

Previous Staycation posts:
My Community Staycation
Reading for Gold Stars