A couple of years ago I started to feel completely out of place. I’m not sure if it was because of school or work but I would find myself getting cranky at the end of the day. I would feel so down and lazy some days and all I would want to do was mold myself to the couch in my flannel pajamas with a bowl of salsa, bag of Tostitos frying my brain in front of bad reality TV.
After doing this two days in a row..I realized this is kind of not normal and maybe partly because I ran out of chips. I needed a change.
My sister, who is a complete health guru and is usually horrified by my eating actions, suggested we go for a hike. I thought to myself wow I haven’t hiked in a while, why not?
Pennsylvania in the Fall is breathtaking. My worn out running sneakers crunched the dry leaves as my Australian Shepard Blue sped ahead of us trying to prove he was in charge of this hike. The vibrant colors of the trees surrounded us. Splashes of orange, yellow, pink and red.
Blue was chasing any squirrel or chipmunk who dared to show their furry face. I could see a squirrel’s sigh of relief when they realized Blue couldn’t climb trees.
Fresh air was rustling through the trees and I took in the crisp, cool Autumn air. It felt good. I felt good.
Different species of birds were chirping and whistling their happy tunes. I started thinking about what I wanted to do with my life and I got really excited. Before when that thought would cross my mind I would immediately tense up and block my mind. There’s something about nature. It got my mind moving again.
I wanted to do more. I couldn’t wait to get back to school. Hiking started me back up again. Sometimes all it takes is a little bit of fresh air. I believe in the development of the soul.