Last week, I lived out a ten year old dream of mine; I went hiking in Sedona, Arizona. I started hiking as a teenager and never stopped. Of course back then, when I went on a "hike with friends" it was usually to hang out and smoke in the woods.
I stopped smoking long ago, but never lost my love of nature. The more outdoor time I get, the better I feel inside.
Usually, the last thing we want to do when we live with chronic pain is exercise. Sometimes it hurts just thinking about it.
But it's what we need most.
I prepared for this trip by buying a good pair of hiking shoes and pricey orthotics. I admit to being a little afraid I might hike myself into a flare. If you look in the upper right hand corner of the picture, you'll see the "pointy" formation we were hiking to.
I didn't realize it'd be so steep and rocky, but as I yelled out to my kids on the way up...
YOLO!
Note: A great way to embarrass your kids is to yell Yolo at the top of your lungs in an echoey canyon.
I made it to the top of the flat part of the formation - sweaty and proud of myself. The view was worth it.
My kids however, couldn't wait to get to the pointy top part so they ran ahead of me (again). It would have been a beautiful family moment if it weren't for me yelling at them to all come down. Of course they said,
"YOLO mom. YOLO!"
I still made them come down. BTW - My son is the only one wearing an honest expression - girls are always posing.
We may have to live with chronic pain but we don't have to let it kill our joy or keep us from living the full life God wants us to live.
Click the link to read about the benefits of hiking and in the meantime . . . keep on following your dreams!
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