I took an easy hike at Raven Run this morning. I think maybe I wasn’t as prepared for “easy” as I thought. However, it did remind me why I enjoyed being out in nature as a youth — it’s nice, quiet, and serene with little sounds of critters running around here and there.
It got me thinking about the reality of life, the beauty, joys, and sometimes even the difficulty of the trail. Here’s a picture of the trail where it’s pretty rocky steps going up or down — I guess it depends on which way you’re going, which is kind of important! Then, there were other spots where it was nice, easy walking. It’s just a great experience to be out and give yourself a chance to reflect and enjoy.
I guess the good and the bad of it is you can go so far on a trail and you have to go back or, as I did in this case, take a loop. That’s a little like life — we have to move forward and sometimes you find yourself on a trail you don’t want to be on. Maybe you have to backtrack a little to get back to where you can take a different direction. You can never really unmake a decision, but you can always make a new decision.
I did get to a point where there’s a nice overlook of the Kentucky river, giving me chance to take a break and enjoy the journey. I think often we get pretty rushed and harried in life. Maybe part of living becomes an awareness of understanding what’s going on, how we’re dealing with things, and taking a chance just to enjoy and really appreciate what’s around. And also to enjoy your own accomplishments.
One thing about getting out in the woods early is you run into the spiderwebs across the path. Obviously, you can’t see them, but you sure can feel them when they hit you in the face!
I went about 2 ½ miles; probably a little more than I planned, but that’s kind of how life goes — sometimes you’ve just gotta keep pushing through. I had an alert about a half hour before I finished that it was supposed to start raining. Thankfully, it didn’t; although I did start to feel just a few drops now and then as I finished up.
Like life, sometimes the landscape and the climate of what we’re going through is wonderful, beautiful, and we can truly enjoy it. Then there are times it might be stormy and challenging. Not that I don’t love a good rainstorm; I just wasn’t ready for it this morning.
