finding my way-

years and years ago

when i was in junior high...

i discovered the joy of

hiking solo;

i would get home from school

throw on a backpack 

stuffed with my journal and a pen---

and off i would go,

stopping along the way

to jot some poetry 

in my journal.

usually i didn't get home

until dinner time!

being up around the

trees and fresh air

always cleared my head,

helping me cope

with the social anxieties

that every junior high kid

experiences!

hiking 

comes

 natural for me;

growing up in a home

where my dad thought 

camping meant

''backpacking' 

with all our own gear---

and heading somewhere

 no one else

would ever, ever

 imagine going!! :)

(thank-you, Dad!)

my husband and i 

hiked when we were

dating-

and then later

we hiked as a 

young growing family;

we

took our daughters

 on many, many hikes

as they were growing up.

we continue this tradition

with at least one

hike a year as

a family.

this year,
so far

i have been lucky enough

to go on four hikes...

two hikes with family

and two hikes with friends.

the last couple hikes i did,

were so crazy beautiful...

it was easy to see why 

my dad 

used to say, 

hiking was where he

 felt the closest to

God.

it was impossible

 to look at the beauty around me

and not

thank our Maker for it

all!

God's handiwork was

 evident everywhere

i looked!

in the trees that sloped on the hills,

puffy clouds floating above me,

clear blue skies,

the sunshine glistening off the 

icy lake,

the meadow bursting with flowers,

a bubbling brook,

rock formations that just begged

 to be climbed.

in it all,

everywhere i looked...

abundant beauty

surrounded

me.

thankful. blessed. grateful.

always.

just me. that's all. me.

a week from today

i will be participating in my 2nd half marathon. :)

i will be doing it with

a group of friends this time...

a bunch a gals who can talk

a mile a minute.

should make the 13.1 miles go by

pretty quickly.

i walk six days a week

well, most weeks anyway...although

living in the PNW there are days when

the rain is coming down in SHEETS

and i decide exercising

in the house sounds good

or sitting in front of the fire 

with a good book

sounds even BETTER!! ha.

since faithfully power-walking for the past year

my distance has increased

along with my speed.

my husband says:

i walk faster than a lot of people jog! :)

although i must say,

i am competing with no one

but, myself.

truly.

i am competitive by nature, though.

it could be growing up the only girl

in a house of boys?

regardless,

i am fairly competitive

and am usually pretty good at sports.

that being said, 

i set out each morning

to just get a walk in!!

nothing more than that.

just to get out and walk.

not competing with someone else...

just me.

truly.

i am not comparing myself to anyone else:

 not how many 

days someone else walks

how FAST they walk

or how FAR they walk...

just getting outside by myself.

hitting the road and walking-

mile after mile...

walking clears my head.

it helps me stay fit.

i  also use walking 

for contemplation,

and alone time, with God...

not to mention the happy endorphins! :)

it doesn't matter how far or how fast i go...

really it doesn't.

as long as i get out and do it.

you see

i am not competing with

anyone

except myself!

trying to be the best possible

me, i can be.

i walk

for me.

and ONLY for me.

no one else!

i am not trying to be better than anyone else.

just a better, melody!

that is all.