resilience – Page 2 – Things I've Learned Along The Way

Wild

When I go to the woods, I discover Tiny purple flowers, Bird songs, Bones. I find equanimity, Communion, Calm. When I go to the mountains, I leave behind Businesses, Meetings, Phones. I shed expectations, Worries, Fears. When I go to the wilderness, I take A water bottle, Rain clothes, Boots. I bring resilience, Wonder, Joy.Continue reading “Wild”

Mentors can teach hard lessons

I pick up the phone and a voice takes me back, three months before to a sunny day on a lake in northern Idaho. On that day, a group of graduate students and I, the lowly undergraduate, had meandered up winding roads to an A-frame summer house in the woods owned by Jim and hisContinue reading “Mentors can teach hard lessons”

Half-century mark

I turned 50 in 2017, so it seems fitting to reflect on existing for a half-century on this tiny planet in our vast universe. I’ve always felt very fortunate and grateful to be alive, because at the age of seven, no one thought I was going to make it to eight. One day I wasContinue reading “Half-century mark”

A dog’s life, in memoriam

My husband Curt and I were lucky enough to be owned by a chocolate lab named Koloa. He was a happy, go-lucky chap. He loved everyone. He loved every dog he ever met, except possibly the two pit bulls that once attacked him. He loved barking at squirrels in the yard, going for a goodContinue reading “A dog’s life, in memoriam”

On running

I wake up at dawn, put on a t-shirt and shorts and double-knot my running shoes. I step into the clear morning air and listen to the birds chime the first welcome of the day. I start slowly, allowing my limbs to shed the last bits of sleep. Then I fall into a rhythm. MyContinue reading “On running”

TMB Part 9: Peak experience

After two days of fog and rain with little to no visibility, we gladly welcomed the sunshine back. The town of Trient glowed in the morning as we marched through and down the road, once again to ascend up another mountainside. We found our way to Col de Balme, where we were rewarded with spectacularContinue reading “TMB Part 9: Peak experience”

TMB Part 4: Fear and Wonder

It was a moment of wonder, one of the most amazing things I have ever seen.

TMB: Pause and reflect

When you are walking on a trail, you put one foot in front of another, and when you are writing about the trail, you put one word after another as you describe it. But on the trail, sometimes you have to pause and reflect. Am I hungry or thirsty? Hot or cold? Tired or energized?Continue reading “TMB: Pause and reflect”

Terror

I have led a lucky life. I nearly died as a child, but I survived. I have a loving family who helped me become a resilient adult. Because of my experiences, I have a finely honed sense of how tenuous and temporary our life here is on earth, so I try to remember to makeContinue reading “Terror”