Nick and I are celebrating our 15th wedding anniversary today. 15 years ago we never would have guessed we'd have 2 boys, 45 chickens and be living in Virginia!
I am so thankful for Nick by my side on this journey. May we have many more years of laughter and smiles, and photos with bunny ears!
We'll celebrate tonight with takeout dinner and dessert with the boys, then watch the college women's basketball game online.
I walked a lot in November the week of the presidential election, like 10-12 miles per day a lot! Unfortunately at the end of the week I hurt my left foot, the same foot I injured three years after after running a marathon. It's been very slow to heal. I've been able to walk our half mile back pasture loops, but hadn't hiked or walked on the road. I decided this week that I just need to try, I need to be out there walking again. I walked one slow mile on the road, which felt miraculous. I had planned to walk 40 miles this May for my 40th birthday, instead I am hoping to walk 4 miles. Or really any amount, I'm just hoping for a good walk!
I start my day with our dawn walks around the pasture, even when it's frigid and blustery wind like this morning. I usually have about 1 mile on my watch by the time we are ready to settle in for morning lesson.
On Monday I had a lovely walk up the steep ridge on the little country road across the street from us. I could feel my foot was a bit sore afterwards, so I won't do that every day. I've been walking 7,000-8,000 steps this week, working my way back up to 10,000 steps per day. I'll continue the foot soaks, Arnica, acupuncture and stretches so my foot can continue to heal. I look forward to long walks again, and walks with my mama!
We picked up groceries yesterday, then took sandwich wraps to the park to meet my mom for a winter picnic and hike. It was blustery and cold to sit and eat outside, but we soon warmed up walking in the beautiful sunshine.
Alex asked to explore off the trail, and we had fun following a deer path into the woods.
We walked along the grass by a little creek, the boys had fun jumping back and forth over the water.
It was a beautiful day to be outside, to visit with my mom and soak up the healing sunshine on our faces!
In a time when the world seems to be in such turmoil, and I wake with stiff shoulders and a tense belly, I am finding peace in the seemingly mundane moments of my day. Our routine of starting the day with a dawn pasture walk is so healing. I feel such joy and calm walking this land and reveling in the sunrise.
I am glad our roots are here, and that my boys can experience the wildness of starting their days outside.
Levi keeps me company while I do my morning yoga, he is a pretty good audience.
Our days are not always peaceful, so I remind myself to cherish moments of calm. The boys do such a good job of helping each other, like when they work together to fill Alex's nine bird feeders. They both enjoy bird watching, Eli especially likes to call Alex over to see a rare or unusual bird, like the Evening Grosbeaks we got to see on Christmas day!
The boys have been doing some cooking, so I can enjoy moments to myself to read by the fire. I do love woodstove season, and the time to drawn in and gather warmth. I am remembering to breathe deeply, hug my boys close and cherish every moment.
Our weather has been mild this week. Wednesday it was in the 50s and sunny, so we headed to the woods to meet my parents for a hike. It felt so good to be out in the huge trees and wilderness.
My dad brings his knives for the boys to use to carve fallen logs and sticks.
Eli found a neat rock that Grammy and Alex helped him to identify.
The last 20 minutes or so the boys played "forest tag," racing through the woods. My parents and I sat along the trail chatting and watching the bare tree silhouettes against the deep blue sky. It was perfect, and just what we needed.
"I will follow my instincts, be myself for good or ill, and see what will be the upshot.
As long as I live, I'll hear waterfalls and birds and winds sing. I'll acquaint myself with the glaciers and wild gardens, and get as near the heart of the world as I can." ~John Muir
I slept in until 6:30 this morning, the time that I usually start yoga. I made some hot tea and was about 10 minutes into my yoga session when Eli burst in to announce "The sky is all pink and purple! We need to be outside in it, right now!" So of course I hit the pause button, bundled up and headed outside with my sweet boys. We crunched through the frosty pasture as we wondered at the beauty of the sunrise. I reminded the boys that we are so fortunate for this space, where we are loved and safe.
The focus of my Yoga With Adriene this morning was "space," creating space with our bodies, and also the important message to let go of whatever is taking up mental space that is not serving us, to allow for new gifts and love to come in. The yoga session email shared this lovely Mary Oliver poem, that I think is such a good message for these current times.
Storage
When I moved from one house to another
there were many things I had no room for.
What does one do? I rented a storage
space. And filled it. Years passed.
Occasionally I went there and looked in,
but nothing happened, not a single
twinge of the heart.
As I grew older the things I cared
about grew fewer, but were more
important. So one day I undid the lock
and called the trash man. He took
everything.
I felt like the little donkey when
his burden is finally lifted. Things!
Burn them, burn them! Make a beautiful
fire! More room in your heart for love,
for the trees! For the birds who own
nothing– the reason they can fly.
~ by Mary Oliver
Sir Petey cat has been following us on our dawn walks, we love to have his company!
"Finding yourself" is not really how it works. You aren't a ten-dollar bill in last winter's coat pocket. You are also not lost. Your true self is right there, buried under cultural conditioning, other people's opinions, and inaccurate conclusions you drew as a kid that became your beliefs about who you are. "Finding yourself" is actually returning to yourself. An unlearning, an excavation, a remembering who you were before the world got it's hands on you." ~ Emily McDowell
I've been doing Yoga With Adriene for almost a year now, and like I've said in this space before, it has truly been life changing. In addition to strength and flexibility, it has been an amazing journey of remembering myself. Doing yoga is precious time that I carve out for me each morning, a time to love and honor myself. A phrase Adriene often uses is "Breathe lots of love in, and lots of love out." And I think that is just exactly what the world needs right now, lots of love!
Alex announced on Monday that he's been listening to a podcast about writing. He got out a new journal (thankfully we keep a stash of quality sketchbooks and journals!), and set to work writing. He has told fantastical stories to the chickens for years, about a mythical land called Hennin. As he started to write he told me "Hey Mom, I read recently that hennin is also a hat worn by European women in the Middle Ages, did you know that?" No, I did not know that, and I dearly love what I learn from this sweet boy.
He's worked on the first two chapters this week, including illustrations of the main characters. One of the main characters is the hen that was his favorite, Big Brown Eyes. I'm glad that even though he misses her, he can talk and write about her now. I love hearing his stories, and am so glad we'll have a written book!
This weekend we spent a couple hours at the park parking lot in town. Alex and Nick drove RC cars while Eli and I rode our bikes. There are 2 long parking lots with trees planted down the center. It was a fun space to play and ride and not worry about seeing many people. Most people in our town don't wear masks, so it was nice to find a quiet place to venture out and feel safe.
The boys and I picked up library books and went to the park again yesterday afternoon. I wasn't able to get our bikes onto the car carrier, but we had a good time anyway.
I'm thankful the library is still open with curbside service, and that this park is right next to it! I think we'll spend many more afternoons here, soaking up time outside.
Happy New Year! Every year I choose a word to focus on for the year, this year my word is flexible. I'm working on becoming flexible in mind and body. I have a new 30-day challenge calendar for the year, and am looking forward to 30 days of yoga, 30 days of meditation, 30 days of a gratitude list, and much more.
I'm also looking forward to winter projects that include typing my ancestor's letters from 1936 and working on my paternal family tree in Ancestry. My ultimate goal is to draw out a huge family tree so I have space to include tidbits about people's lives, like when they immigrated to America, their professions, etc. I love finding those stories, and also as many photos as I can. Winter projects like this give me something to look forward to as we continue to stay home, and I miss things like visiting family and friends in PA.
This Mary Oliver quote is taped to my computer screen as a great reminder. May we all find peace and harmony this year, and remember what matters.
"Let me keep my mind on what matters,
which is my work,
which is mostly standing still and learning to be
astonished." ~Mary Oliver