It’s time. Actually, it’s beyond time. It’s time to get out of the house. Time to stretch your legs, breath some fresh air and time to disconnect yourself, ourselves from social media, the news and the world at least for a short time. Today, my wife and I did just that. We are extremely fortunate to live in one of the most beautiful places on earth, the Colorado Rocky Mountains with seemingly endless trails and many which are trails less traveled. During these crazy and somewhat uncertain times, the trails that are less traveled are my favorite. There’s nothing like getting out and away from all the negative energy that surrounds each of us these days and find peace of mind and peace of soul if only for an hour or two.
Our hike started with applying Splish Naturals Grounding Solution to our temples, upper chest and a dab behind the ears. Grounding Solution contains a host of earthy essential oils that brings a sense of calm to your spirit and your soul. Something we all could use a little bit more of.
Today’s hike took us deep into the Rocky Mountains on a trail that is traveled lightly and with beautiful views in every direction. With an elevation gain of just under 1,000 vertical feet, we hiked two and a half miles on the trail, feeling the stretch in our legs, air in our lungs and hearing our beating hearts in our ears. This wasn’t a race and we stopped several times along the way to take in the natural beauty surrounding us and yes, catching our breath as well. When we reached as far as we intended to go and our time would allow, we stopped and in that moment of time, felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude.
Gratitude for our life together;
gratitude for our jobs and what we do for a living; gratitude for our two adult kids; gratitude for our good health; gratitude for the beauty that surrounds us daily; gratitude for our safety; gratitude for simply living life. It was an amazingly, meditative moment and in that moment, peace consumed and welcomed us into its home. The quiet of this area enveloped us and the tranquility brought us both peace.
How are you finding peace in your life? Are you taking time to disconnect from the T.V.? From your laptop and mobile phone? From social Media and the constant bombardment of energy that is all too rarely positive these days. Find your peace. Take a walk, a hike, a bike ride, a jog or whatever helps “take you away” to find a moment of peace and grounding in your life. Life is an incredible gift given to each of us, “never forget to bask in its glow and enjoy each and every moment” as we all know, life is finite.
Good Health
I have an older friend, let’s call him Joe, who will turn 94 this year. He doesn’t look 94; he doesn’t look 74 so I had to ask him his secret to looking young and staying fit. His answer? You need to keep moving. My friend continued on how as we age, we tend to “slow down” but by slowing down, we truly begin the aging process. Joe shared that despite his age, he refused to slow down and let his age catch up to him. He stole the name of a Toby Keith song entitled “Don’t let the old man in”.
Joe lives in the same Colorado mountain town that my wife and I live in. We are fortunate to live in the heart of the Colorado Rocky Mountains and close driving distance to some of the world’s greatest ski resorts. Every year when the ski season begins, Joe is there on opening day and then the next and the next and the day after that. Joe skis every single day of the ski season. Sometimes he skis alone, often time with friends; some days it’s a single run and others more.
Often, he wakes in the morning thinking “I can miss this day” but that passes quickly, and Joe is out on the slopes again. Matt, he says, you have to keep moving; don’t stop. There will be days when you just want to plant yourself in front of the couch and not move, but you have to move. It’s ok to rest; its ok to relax; it’s ok to watch a favorite movie or television show or to listen to your favorite music, but don’t get stuck, you need to find time every single day of your life to move.
And be grateful as not everyone has the ability to move so as long as we are able, you need to keep moving. When the ski resorts close for the season, Joe doesn’t stop but rather “shifts gears”. Walks are always a great go to anytime of the year. After ski season ends, Joe’s walks are longer. Sometimes they are simply long walks around the block. Often, they become hikes at the local Nordic center. Sometime those walks include wearing snowshoes or cross-country skis; never really matters as long as you keep moving.
And soon the snow melts making way for spring and summer. Snowshoes and skis are put away so Joe will don his hiking boots. Another great and fortunate benefit of living in the Rocky Mountains are the endless trails that are here to be explored. Yep, it doesn’t matter what time of the year it is; it doesn’t matter how warm or cold or wet or sunny it is, Joe just keeps moving.
