I spent most of the weekend outside, playing in the wilderness with friends. And it was fantastic. On Saturday, I was on my feet from 7am to 5pm, running with Alison, Bob and Todd at Black Creek Park, followed by trail clean up work with TrailsRoc (shoveling stones, fixing trails, singing Oompa Loompa songs and riding on the back of the gator), more running with Sheila, Eric and Valone at Durand, then going home to mow the lawn, eat dinner and fall asleep. On Sunday, Sheila, Eric, Todd, Valone, Lisa, Rob, Sheriff Ron and I ran/hiked parts of the Many on the Genny course at Letchworth then went white water rafting with Adventure Calls Outfitters.
I don't know how to explain it other than to say that time spent outdoors is like some kind of magic elixir for the soul; it soothes your sadness, assuages your suffering and connects you to your freest, wildest, best self.
And sometimes you need that. Because life, man. That shit is hard sometimes. Like a practical jokester being all so you thought you'd never want to get married, eh? Here's this guy who's going to change all that. But hey, now that you're married, we're sending him to the Middle East for 6 months. Because people be fightin'. And everything you do while he's away reminds you of him and makes you miss him even more. And every call and email and card feels like a gift. Like when he calls you from one of the unit's stops, tired and jetlagged and sleeping in a bunk bed, 40 people to a room, but tells you he's on his way to Baskin-Robbins because he was thinking of you and decided to get ice cream in your honor. And you get this warm feeling like, this, this is my person.
Sometimes it's hard to be a person in the world. But it is also amazing. I don't know how to fix all the problems. But I do know this:
Go outside. Be with people. It will change your life.
Lyric of the moment: "Cause what's the point in living unless you're living wild..." ~Judas Priest "Running Wild"
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