Miscellaneous this and that
Holy mackerel! It's Thursday and I haven't written yet. I fought the temptation to take a nap and decided to spend time with you instead. I went to bed Sunday night with a promise to myself I would get a post out Monday. Well, obviously, that didn't happen. I had a really good message I wanted to share. Since I didn't take notes as I was thinking about it throughout the day, the message evaporated from my noggin like the morning dew on a hot summer day.
Tuesday I got up and said, "Okay, I will write today." I can't even remember what I did Tuesday. Yesterday I had "stuff" I had to take care of that I couldn't put off any longer. Now it is Thursday late afternoon and my brain is empty of words. There is a bunch of nonsense in there, but nothing of substance. But I decided to sit down and let my fingers tap away and see what happens.
No single focus comes to mind, rather a bunch of miscellaneous this and that. I still have not ventured out for any real winter hiking. I wanted to, but I spent the last week helping a friend who lost her husband. We were blessed with pet-sitting her fur-baby for several days. What a joy it was to have her dog with us. Patches was just adorable. It made me miss our beloved Barney all the more but also reminded me of the reasons we are not ready to get another pet full time.
Having a dog for a few days meant I was forced to get outside whether I wanted to or not despite the weather. I love it outside, I just don't like having to dress for the cold, then when I come in I hate having to lay everything out so it can dry. For someone who has hiked the Appalachian Trail start to finish twice, I sure can be lazy. Several walks each day made me miss the woods all the more, and with this semi-February thaw, I really wanted to be out there. Walks on the camp road would have to do until circumstances line up for me to get back out on the trail.
Besides dog sitting, I had a massage on Monday, that was just heaven. Last Friday, I finally went to the hair dresser. I broke down and got a color, good bye "arctic blonde".
Wow. what a difference in my mood. Why do we - or at least I do - put so much emphasis on how we feel based on how we feel we look. No more grey, at least for the next 4-5 weeks. Maybe that is just the catalyst to get me out of my seasonally depressed funk I get in this time of year. Every year seems to get harder and harder for me during these long dark grey days.
Boundless, a forty day devotional designed, edited, written, and published by Elaine Starner was released recently also. I am proud to say that I contributed three of the devotionals to this collection. It is amazing how my world has changed so much since my hike in 2015. I never dreamed I would be an author, I still can't believe it.
(available on Amazon and soon through me)
This week I have felt a lift in my spirit. Is it because the days are getting longer and brighter, the massage, or the new hairdo? Is it the release of another book? Maybe it's because I have been getting outside and getting fresh air. Whatever the reason, it is a reminder that no matter what we are going through, good, bad, or indifferent, it will pass. We just need to hold on. Be grateful for the good when it comes our way, hang on through the trials and funks when we trudge through them, and keep a joy in the heart during those ho-hum days. But most importantly, live in the present. The sunshiny days give us smiles, the cloudy mediocre days give us a chance to rest, and those rainy days only make us stronger.
But if you need a catalyst to get you through a particular rough patch, why not go get a massage or get your hair done, it can't hurt.
Happy Hiking,
Emily