After a long work day, I leashed up my fur baby, Baylee picked up my Aunt and we headed into nature to clear our minds and move our bodies. Today's adventure is Florence Lake. The online ratings were high but it was a pretty big let down. Not only did the trail not go all the way around the lake (big bummer!), it was basically a sidewalk near a busy road (for the most part).
Walking in nature is my sanctuary these days. After losing my Mom in Oct, walking has been a way for me to calm my mind. When I'm walking, I practice observing everything. From butterflies to birds to the beautiful flowers that surround us every day. Things we all take for granted for just being there.
Why do I take the time to notice? When you lose the most important person to you, you begin the grieving process and part of that process is being angry at everything. And I mean, everything. A blade of grass moves and I'm angry. So instead of letting anger eat me up, I'm trying to focus on gratitude and appreciating everything. No matter how small. Some days I'm successful. Most days I am not. So I walk. And I walk. And I observe the world while I work on my mental health and process the death of my Mom. Camera in hand, dog by my side, and sometimes, my Aunt even joins me.
Being in nature is my sanctuary from my mind. Nature has this way of helping me tune down the amount of pain I'm feeling at that moment. It reminds me to breathe and slow down. Reflecting on this walk and the many I have taken over the past few months, I'm extremely grateful and appreciative for my dog, Baylee, and my Aunt for being there with me. Showing me how much they appreciate the world around them despite the challenges they have been through. It's truly inspiring. It reminds me that one day, I could get there too. I could get back to loving life. Thank you, Nature. Thank you for helping me in my grieving process.
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