May 14th - Every Day in May
This is the first time in Every Day in May that I didn’t post the same night. A slight delay was necessary because I went off the grid to Pinnacles National Park (very close to me). The park is closed but the campground is open because it is run by a concessionaire. If you stay at the campground you get access to all the trails in the park. So essentially the park to yourself. A quick 24 hour trip with a friend was just what I needed.
Health is Physical:
After arriving we went out exploring in sports bras and booty shorts for 6.5 perfect temp miles. I was beyond happy in my heart, but my body is not getting the message. It was lethargic and tired, can’t win ‘em all. I didn’t sleep well the night before, and after 2 weeks of amazing sleep I was feeling the toll. But we got in the miles down through the South Wilderness Trail.
Health is Mental/Emotional:
Todays healthy mental and emotional action was reaching out to my girlfriends when I needed to talk. I am so blessed with deep friendships and even though my tendency is to isolate when I’m hyper emotional, I’m learning to reach out to the awesome listeners in my life. And they are teaching me to be a better listener as well. Something about car trips and campfires (ooh… that would make a good shirt… “car trips and campfires”… don’t steal it) that just brings people together.
The number one thing I crave in life is intimacy, defied by my awesome therapist as “shared emotional experiences.” Just saying “shared emotional experiences” makes me happy. Car trips, campfires, and trail runs are most awesome when shared. And boy, after COVID has resolved, I’m looking forward to so many more of these sorts of adventures.
Health is Spiritual
I’m calling tonights campfire my spiritual action for the day. What is it about fire, campfires especially, that feel so good on the soul? They are calming, reflective, and warm, all in one. We sat around for hours, Amy reading Backpacker Magazine to me, which even included a short meditation where I was on the top of Half Dome in Yosemite gazing over the Valley and reflecting on the smells and sounds of one of my favorite destinations. Ahh those cables, you know you are super alive when you are on the dome of Half Dome climbing those cables!
Insights
Today was worth a thousand dollars. I get a little weepy when I think about the feelings I had pulling into the campground, setting up the tent and just looking up. I miss deer, and noisy birds, and oak trees and camp life. I even miss coyotes. I felt like we did this quickie trip in a very safe fashion and it was so nice to share all the feels with our camp neighbors. We all felt so happy and lucky.
Until tomorrow… in good health.