In the first couple days of 2020, I serendipitously noticed an old travel journal lying on the bottom of my bookshelf. Realizing that it was my collection of daily travel notes and memories from a January trip through Europe that I took in 2008, I thought it might be a good idea to read one entry per day, each one exactly twelve years later.
Often, perhaps too often, I find myself at the end of my day, feeling as if I have run a race. Moving nonstop from one thing to the next, there is precious little time to process all that I have experienced. While I am energized by this activity, I am also aware of my unfulfilled need for stillness and contemplation.
For those of us who greatly value the outdoor opportunities that are unique to summer—such as warm temperatures for water activities, easier alpine exploration, or simply the long daylight hours—this time of the year can present a difficult transition.
I am stretched out on the grass before a lake in a park near my house. It is late afternoon and this brief interlude provides a needed pause for wonder and reflection.
The movement of the fire burning in the chiminea behind me creates a complex dance of shadows on the side of the house. The warmth and energy of the fire matches my excitement as I engage in an animated conversation with a new friend.
It has been over 20 years since a landmark study called “Adverse Childhood Experiences” was published in the American Journal of Preventative Medicine.
Birthdays have never held much significance for me and usually when I’m asked, I need to stop and calculate how old I am.
A study recently published in Frontiers in Physiology details the differences in heart structure between elite runners and elite swimmers.
This morning, I got up and went for a run. Not a long one, just a couple of miles. It’s been a long time, too long, given my decision some months ago to start running again.
We’ve all been there – feeling too tired, not having enough time, or merely choosing to do something simpler. For all these reasons and many more, physical activity can be relegated to a position of something unpleasant, or worse.