Tag: outdoors

a dog on a leash looking into some trees with houses in behind them January 20 is Take A Walk Outdoors Day
fitness · health · mindfulness · nature · walking

January 20 is Take A Walk Outdoors Day

Christine HenneburyLeave a comment

Today is Take A Walk Outdoors Day and I plan to celebrate by, you guessed it, taking a walk outdoors!

This isn’t a new thing for me, of course, I take a walk outdoors with Khalee most days, but I am making a point to get a good walk in today.

For the record, I also took a walk outdoors on Monday, even though it was just Take A Walk Outdoors Eve. It was a very drizzly day and Khalee was not a fan. She insisted on turning around to head home after just a few minutes but I’m still counting it as a walk outdoors.

A tan and white dog standing in snow, wearing a harness and leash.
Poor Khalee Pup looks so fed up with me. I’m sorry for dragging you out into the drizzle, KP! Image description: Khalee, a light-haired, medium-sized dog is standing in the middle of some snow facing towards the right. She has turned her head towards the camera. Her fur looks damp and she does not seem delighted to be outdoors, despite the mental health benefits.

Note: Are there entirely too many ‘official’ days for ordinary things? Maybe. Do I enjoy choosing to celebrate some of them all the same? Hells, yes! If it adds fun to my life and does no harm? I am IN.

As I was writing this post I did a quick search to see how many of my posts mention walking. It turns out that I have written 668 posts for Fit is a Feminist Issue and at least 192 of them mention walking. That includes posts for Making Space and Go Team so some of them may not be about my own walks but I still find it interesting that there are that many. Also, that 192 doesn’t include some posts that are about walking but that didn’t get picked up by the search function for some reason – like the poem one linked below.

Here are a few of my favourite posts about getting out for a walk:

Seven Things Christine Noticed On Her Sunday Walk

Khalee Solves Christine’s Problem (a poem?)

Christine and Khalee Try Walking Meditation

Just For Fun With Christine and Khalee

The health benefits of being outdoors is one of those things that I “know” but I realized I had never actually looked it up before so I did and I found this article from the Canadian Psychological Association that you may want to have a look at:

“Psychology Works” Fact Sheet: Benefits of Nature Exposure
This image is a link to a 2024 “Psychology Works”Fact Sheet entitled Benefits of Nature Exposure from the Canadian Psychological Association. The credits below are copied directly from the document:
This fact sheet has been prepared for the Canadian Psychological Association by Yasmeen Ibrahim, Clinical Psychology Ph.D. Student, and Shannon Johnson, Ph.D., Department of Psychology and Neuroscience at Dalhousie University.

Another thing that sprang to mind while I was writing this was the Latin phrase Solvitur Ambulando which means “It is solved by walking.” I don’t speak or read Latin but I came across that phrase years ago and I love how it landed with me.

I took it literally when I first heard it – that walking around can help you figure things out – but I have since found out that it is also about solving complicated abstract problems by taking practical action. It works in all directions, really.

And in confirming the Latin spelling, I came across this delightful ‘sketchplanation’ of the literal interpretation of the phrase by Jono Hey

A simple illustration depicting three stick figures walking on a path through green hills. One figure has a light bulb above them, symbolizing an idea or realization. The text 'SOLVITUR AMBULANDO' and 'it is solved by walking' is displayed at the top.
Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations Image description: this image shows three stick figures walking along a hilly field in shades of green. The first one on the left has a cloud made of dark scribbles above their head that indicates some confusion, they are walking towards the right and towards the back of the image. Then we see a later version of the same person walking from the back of the image towards us, and the cloud of confusion is a lighter colour. Finally, we see the same person closest to us on the right, and above their head is a light bulb symbolizing an idea and the light bulb is surrounded by green lines indicating a sort of brightness. Text at the top of the image reads, in Latin, Solvitur Ambulando and (the translation) it is solved by walking. This image is representing the idea that taking action, moving forward, literally or figuratively can help you to organize your thoughts and plans.

And seeing as I am pretending to be all sophisticated by sharing a Latin phrase, I’ll lean into that and share a quote (that is about walking and not about walking) from a poem that I love called [Traveler, your footprints] by Antonio Machado.

Traveler, there is no road;

you make your own path as you walk.

~Antonio Machado

Now, as good as it is to take a walk outdoors and to recommend walking outdoors, I know that that’s not always possible for everyone. and from what I understand, you can get some of the benefits of walking outdoors, of being in nature, and the like from looking at pictures of nature and, I assume, watching videos of people’s nature hikes.

So, in the spirit of focusing on things we can do instead of getting all caught up in the things we can’t do: If you are not able to get out outside today to take a walk (or to propel yourself by whatever means you usually do) then here are a few nature walking videos that I thought you might enjoy watching at home – whether or not you are walking/moving at the same time.

Have fun!

Image Description: The still image for this video shows a path leading forward through a wintery forest scene. the trees on both sides have snow on their branches and all of the undergrowth is laden with snow. There’s also snow on the path leading ahead. In the centre of the image is text reading “Winter Walk” and it is in a handwritten sort of font.
Image Description The still image shows a path through tall green trees on a spring or summer day. The path is clear and flat and has a wooden fence on both sides. Tt’s a sunny day and even though you can’t see the sky you can see the the light from the sun making all of the needles on the trees and the moss and plants in the undergrowth glow in the soft light. The trees are large and we’re mostly just seeing trunks and lower branches. There is a large tree to the left that has fallen so we’re seeing its roots and the tree trunk, which has moss on it, extending towards the left and backwards.
Image description: The still image of this video shows waves lapping on a yellow-brown beach on a sunny day with a bright blue sky. There are evergreens and other trees and some grass on the upper left far above the wet part of the beach. The beach extends forward for a long ways.
Image description: The still image for this video shows a fall scene in the woods with a path that extends into the distance with trees on either side. The path is strewn with orange leaves and some of the tress have orange leaves left on them. There are also a few evergreen trees here and there among the other trees.
Image description: The still image for this video shows a green field with hundreds of dandelion flowers growing in it. In the distance you can see farm houses, and structures for electrical lines, and a strip of blue/grey sky.
I had to include this video because this trail is about 15 minutes from my house and I thought you might enjoy seeing the rocky terrain and the ocean views on this hike. Image description: The still image for this video shows a collection of houses in a variety of colours in a part of St. John’s, NL called The Battery. The streets in this area are narrow and winding so the photo kind of looks like the houses are clustered haphazardly. There is a mix of old, weather-beaten structures and brightly-coloured newly painted houses. There is a rocky area in the foreground of the photo. This photo was taken on a sunny fall day so while the picture is bright.
Camping together gives women autonomy and community
camping · challenge · femalestrength · fitness · fun · kayak · kayaking · paddling · rest

Camping together gives women autonomy and community

elan.paulsonLeave a comment

I recently went kayak camping with 6 friends at a remote Ontario provincial park called Killarney. Over 6 days and 5 nights we kayaked on a lake to 3 different camp sites. It was a chance for some holiday rest but also some active challenges.

Each site stop meant packing and unpacking my (borrowed) kayak: sleeping gear, food gear, hygiene gear, camp chair, bug repellants, clothes, and drying line. These were stored in dry sacs that kept stuff dry in inclement weather or if the kayak tips. We also agreed to each pack out our own garbage, which had to be stored every night in our kayaks to avoid attracting animals.

Though I was a girl guide and did family trailercamper trips as a kid, I am newer to camping where you haul your own gear, purify your own water, eat primarily rehydrated food, and eliminate in a “thunderbox”. On every trip I learn more through observing others and asking questions to find what arrangements suit me best (eg, tent vs hammock for sleeping, what vegetarian foods I can take, etc.).

I’m on my own to make sure I can carry what I pack, I pick up after myself, and I keep myself clean, dry, sated, and injury-free. Although this seems like regular adult stuff, in nature with no other amenities than what I carry, I must plan ahead and be self-sufficient. As one of my friends said during the trip, “Doing this as a woman, as a group of women, is empowering.” (Another one said camping is having fun while being mildly uncomfortable.)

What is empowering is not just taking care of yourself but also working together as a group. These women harnessed 7 kayaks in a trailer safely for highway driving, navigated to a remote provincial park, kayaked to multiple camp sites, used fishing gear, arranged in pairs for food prep and clean up, found wood, set up big tarps in case of rain, and shared anything that was needed, from extra salt to insect repellant to tampons to skin bandages.

For nearly a week were on our own but also together: travelling, paddling, swimming, fishing, card playing, plein air watercolor painting, food and drink imbibing, mosquito repelling, storytelling, and looking out for each other.

I am grateful to have learned so much about the tricks and tools of kayak camping from these women. It’s given me a sense of accomplishment and pride in a hobby that’s fun but not always easy or convenient. I’ve chosen from here this quotation, attributed to Madonna (who may or may not also be a kayak camper), to sum up my thoughts:

“As women, we have to start appreciating our own worth and each other’s worth. Seek out strong women to befriend, to align yourself with, to learn from, to collaborate with, to be inspired by, to support, and enlightened by.” – Madonna

What do you do, on your own but also with others, that gives you a sense of personal autonomy as well as community?

7 kayaks hauled by a truck
7 women in kayaks
5 women sitting in front of a campfire at dusk
The view, of an overturned kayak near the water’s edge, from my tent at dawn
accessibility · climate change · fitness

Climate Change and Third Spaces for Leisure and Sport

Diane Harper

Sunday was World Car-Free Day. The day before, there was a joyful critical mass ride and a climate change march. The biggest Kidical Mass Ride of 2024 in Ottawa will take place on Saturday. Cities for Everyone has free seminars coming up on The Power of the Commons and Towards Playable Cities.

These things are not unrelated and this article connects some of those dots. Here are a few of the highlights I took from it:

A fight for free, accessible public swimming pools, air-conditioned libraries, free museums, and community centers—can provide important heat relief and create places of fun connection for community members.

More free time can be a climate strategy. Lowering working hours (with living wages, of course) will give people more time to engage in a whole range of affordable activities—playing sports, gardening, hiking on public lands, or (importantly) organizing their community. There is also ample research that shows that a shorter workweek could limit carbon emissions, while also allowing people to live more fulfilled and balanced lives.

Connecting with nature and being outside has a proven positive impact on people’s well-being, but it needs to be accessible to everyone, not just those with cars or other expensive means of transportation.

Decarbonizing is not just a question of surviving climate change. It’s a question of creating policy to change our culture, and vice versa—the feedback loop we need to build a world we can all enjoy.

Three women in dresses jump in a wooded park. Photo: freepik

If a Tree Falls in the Forest, Does it Become Fitness Equipment?
fitness · functional fitness

If a Tree Falls in the Forest, Does it Become Fitness Equipment?

Diane Harper1 Comment

Yes it does.

A very large poplar got chewed by beavers and fell across the road at my cottage property, so clearing it became this week’s main fitness activity.

The tree lying across my road, before it got cut into pieces. 

Friends with a chainsaw came over to cut up the tree, and then we moved the pieces next to my wood pile.

Many pieces of wood lying beside a tarp-covered woodpile. Each piece is about 16 inches high.

Wood is heavy, and rolling these pieces into place felt a bit like doing one of those sled push exercises at the gym. Not as much weight as this woman was pushing, obviously!

Very strong woman with long blonde hair pushes a sled with heavy weights on it. BOJAN89 //Getty Images

But then we realized the woodpile will need to be moved so that it is out of the way of the construction crews I’m expecting over the next few weeks. So we moved it again; this time up a little hill and tucked in behind some trees.

All the wood stacked in a safer location.

I love camping and historical re-enactment, and often think about how much we now do as “fitness activity” for fun or to keep ourselves mobile after working at a desk job all day. Then I spend a day like this and am grateful I don’t have to rely on my strength and farming/wood clearing skills to live (but also grateful I have the strength to do the work when I need to).

This was about two hours of work, with three of us and a chainsaw. I still need to split all that wood.

Christine and the small challenge
ADHD · cardio · challenge · fitness · walking

Christine and the small challenge

Christine Hennebury

I’m setting a little challenge for myself!

I always enjoy my walks with Khalee but they are usually better for my mental health than my physical health.

I have a tendency to fall into an ambling pace rather than putting much cardio effort in. And that’s fine on days when I need the mental break more that the physical exertion but on busy day when I won’t get a lot of other exercise, it would be swell if my walk did double duty.*

A photo of a dog on a sidewalk on a sunny day
A sunny day photo of my dog Khalee standing on some muddy grass next to the sidewalk. She is a light-brown, medium sized dog and she is pointed away from the camera but she is looking back over her left shoulder because I called out to her. The shadow of my upper body and my hand holding my phone can be seen on the sidewalk.

So, I’ve decided that I am going to try doing a 5 minute warm-up before heading out the door.

My thought here is that by warming up beforehand, I won’t be spending any of my walk warming up. Instead, I’ll be spending my walk already in a good heart rate zone.

And, since I am already in that mental and physical space, I’ll be more likely to stay in exercise mode instead of amble mode.

I’m writing this on Monday afternoon and my wrist spy reports that my heart rate average was a few points higher during our walk than it usually is. And, I felt really good about the extra effort.

One day, one reading, and a subjective report is hardly scientific but it is encouraging enough to tell me to keep trying.

I’m going to do a warmup before every walk for the next week and see how it affects my heart rate and my overall feelings about walking.

Updates as events warrant.

A photo of a sidewalk on a sunny day
A sunny day photo of one of the sidewalks that Khalee and I travel on during an average walk. There is a road on the left and a line of trees with a little snow underneath on the right. People’s backyard fences are just behind the trees but they aren’t visible in the photo. A blue sky with some fluffy clouds can be seen above.

*This isn’t the first time I have noticed this. I wrote about it in this post about my two-speed dog back in February 2023.

At that point, I came up with a couple of things to try but my focus was more on alleviating boredom than on trying to add more of a cardio element to my walk.

I still do those things sometimes on my walk but that requires me to a) remember b) start a new ‘task.’ And if ai have already slipped into amble mode, I may not have the spare energy to initiate a new task. ADHD strikes again!

fitness

Urbanism and Active Transit

Diane Harper1 Comment

Last year I started volunteering with Bike Ottawa, a group that advocates for better cycling infrastructure to keep the increasing number of people on bikes safe.

It turns out that when you start thinking about what makes people on bicycles safe, you quickly start thinking about how similar changes can make the lives of pedestrians safer. And that leads to how we design our streets to make them more accessible for people with mobility issues (and other disabilities). and then how all those things connect with public transit (or more to the point, how much better public transit needs to be both in terms of service and in terms of connectivity to bike paths and sidewalks, and providing benches and shade for people waiting).

I have been connecting with all sorts of people who know lots about these issues, and it has been a great year of learning – about how to get around my city more effectively, how much I am capable of on foot or by bike, and how to spot and (occasionally) fix problems. I am now a master of Guerilla construction signage adjustments to clear sidewalks and bike paths.

That culminated this weekend with a lovely walk around anOttawa neighbourhood that has been in the news a lot this year because of big, sometimes expensive, questions about how to use some public spaces.

I biked there, met up with other people I know from various cycling groups plus the guy who now leads an urbanist book club and some complete strangers. We were led on our walk by a woman who walks everywhere – an average of 120 km per week.

We talked about the environment, smart density, desire lines, the importance of consultations with users to ensure designs work (hello Flora Street pedestrian bridge with your incredibly sharp turns and unploughed stairs in winter).

Flora Street Bridge in Ottawa, showing the ramp on left, with cyclists and pedestrians, and stairs on right, with people climbing them or walking by. Image on left is from canadianconsultingengineer.com and the one on the right by Scott Norsworthy.

It was a lovely way to spend the afternoon, and it reinforced my view from earlier this year that infrastructure is a feminist issue.

We are already planning our next walk, ideally to a suburban area to look at the challenges for people who want to get around without a car.

Until then, we will be dreaming of active transportation and urban spaces that look more like this:

Clockwise from top left: Alexandra Bridge in Ottawa, with many pedestrians; a bike lane that goes right through a mall in Singapore; a bike lane in England being used by someone in a wheelchair. She is protected only by flexiposts as large vehicles drive by; the very busy pedestrianized Rue Mont Royal in Montreal.
fitness

The Joy of Unplugging

Diane Harper1 Comment

I started writing this from my cottage property, where I hung out for a long weekend of mixed primitive and glamping with my buddy Melanie. The irony of writing on my phone about unplugging is not lost on me.

Though I call it a cottage property, it’s really just a plot of land with a clearing with a fire pit where we can pitch a couple of tents. It got a major upgrade a couple of years ago when Mel and I built and installed a thunder box (a primitive open-air version of an outhouse).

Mel, like me, loves to camp. But it’s also important to her to take time to just be together with other women, alone. Though she loves her hubby dearly and does lots of things with him, taking time away is invaluable. It’s the same for him – staying at home with the cats, indulging in all the baseball.

Mel came with a list of things she hoped to accomplish – clear a better trail to the thunder box, move the woodpile from one side of the clearing to the other, mark some walking trails.

What did I want from the weekend? To just “be”. Go for a swim if it got warm enough. Maybe break out the compass and see if I could identify the edges of the property.

For the most part, just “being” won out. Breakfast not eaten until it’s nearly lunch time. Remembering that if you just sit back and look at the stars, listen to the howling wolves/coyotes and the calls of loons, time has no meaning.

We did some serious contemplation of the impact of humans on the earth as our trail to the outhouse became clearer each time someone walked back there (no specific labour involved). And we thought a lot about the unpaid labour of millions of women who for centuries were responsible for collecting wood and water. It was hard work to replenish a modest woodpile without the aid of power tools.

In the end, we mostly celebrated just being together in a peaceful space with some goofiness,

Melanie, wearing a long-sleeved shirt, pants and a hat, is dancing around a campfire, using the fire poking stick like a tap dancer’s cane.

delicious food cooked over the campfire,

Roasted corn, green beans in a mustard cream sauce, and piri piri chicken are on a white plate balanced on my knees in front of the fire pit.

and a swim.

Diane with wet hair in a purple T shirt and Melanie wrapped in a blue towel and wearing a white bucket hat at the beach just after our swim, with the lake in the background.

We are already starting to plan next year’s trip, maybe timing it so we can watch the Perseid meteor shower. If we go a bit earlier in the year, maybe there will be more loons, too.

Diane Harper lives and swims in Ottawa.

Christine Pretends It’s Summer
fitness · nature · season transitions · temperature and exercise · yoga

Christine Pretends It’s Summer

Christine Hennebury2 Comments

I’m a creative and imaginative person and I enjoy using those skills in all kinds of different contexts.

I do not, however, enjoy having to use my creativity and imagination to pretend that it is summer.

Sure, technically, that’s the season we’re in but in my part of NL we have been having a very unsummery June.

We’ve had lots of rain, drizzle, and fog (a.k.a. RDF) and, as of last week, we hadn’t reached 20 degrees Celsius yet. I’m not sure if that one sunny day we had recently broke that unfortunate streak of chilly temperatures but even if it did, one warm day can’t really shake off the gloom of so many dreary ones.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I am grateful to be safe from drought and fires and smoke. I recognize that there are far greater troubles in the world than a month of disheartening weather.

But disheartening weather is still disheartening.

And I could really use some heartening during this emotionally difficult time in my life.

It’s much easier to feel hopeful, try new things, and get yourself moving when you have some sunshine and when you can wear bright colours.

(Yes, yes, I can wear bright-coloured clothing at any time but my summer clothes have a different feel to them – you know what I mean!)

Anyway, despite the disappointing weather, I have still been doing some summery things – a little gardening, tidying the yard, taking longer walks, using my swing, and sitting outside to read (bundled in a blanket, but still!)

Yesterday morning (Monday), though, I took it a step further and really pretended that the weather was warm.

A photo of a yoga mat on a deck on a dull day, deck chairs, railings, trees, a lawn and a swing are in the background.
Image description: a close-to-the-ground cloudy day photo of my patio with my yoga mat stretching out length-wise between the camera and the space where my patio steps are. At the far end of the mat, on either side of the opening for the steps are patio railings (wooden tops with black uprights), a patio chair with a red cushion, and a white table hanging off the railing. Beyond the deck is a green lawn and on the far side of the lawn there are trees and a fence and an orange patio chair. My green disk swing is hanging from one of the trees.

Yep, I dragged my mat outside and practiced out there.

It was only about 6 degrees Celsius, it was threatening to rain, and the sky was dull, but I did my yoga outside because that’s the kind of thing I like doing this time of year.

The weather is making it hard to feel summery but I am determined to have a summer fun all the same.

Even if it starts to rain immediately after I take photo evidence.

a photo of Khalee - my light-haired, medium-sized dog standing on my deck looking back over her shoulder towards me. Most of the ​deck boards are wet with rain but the ones closest to me are sheltered by the roof overhang so they aren’t wet yet.
Image description: a photo of Khalee – my light-haired, medium-sized dog standing on my deck looking back over her shoulder towards me. Most of the deck boards are wet with rain but the ones closest to me are sheltered by the roof overhang so they aren’t wet yet.
fitness

June is for Gardening

amysmithphd

If you’re like me your annual interest in gardening just kicked back in. I’m not a gardener… I don’t pour over seed catalogs in the winter, I don’t draw out maps of what my garden should look like or put too much thought into what varietals I want to plant each spring. But when my friends start talking about their garden, posting pictures of early blooms and cursing about the vicious bunnies who eat their new buds…. Well, I get FOMO (fear of missing out).

A couple weeks ago that FOMO feeling settled in and I started talking to my partner about what we should do with our front yard. I’ve long lobbied to pull the grass up and make it something pretty. Some friends have done a lot of research into pollinator gardens and I absorbed some of that knowledge through conversations with them. Suddenly we seemed to be in agreement on what to do, and poof – the grass was gone. Just kidding… it was hours of hard work, all of which was blissfully done by my partner.

It seems I’m not alone in getting the garden bug around this time of year. The National Garden Clubs, Inc. has designated the first full week of June as “National Garden Week” and The National Wildlife Federation has declared June to be National Pollinators Month. Noting that pollinators are crucial in supporting our food ecosystem, the National Wildlife Federation notes that pollinators are responsible for 1 of every 3 bites of fruits and vegetables we consume!

A yard filled with various green and red shrubs with black mulch in front of a tan house.
Our work-in-progress pollinator garden

Thinking beyond fresh food consumption, gardening itself can offer a lot of health benefits. National Day Calendar recognizes June 6 as National Gardening Exercise Day, and says gardening is not just therapeutic but also builds muscles. Activities such as weeding, planting, pruning, and mowing offer natural forms of exercise and strength building, along with stretching and flexibility. Exposure to sunlight and fresh air also offer health benefits by increasing our Vitamin D and boosting our immune systems.

National Calendar Day also recognizes June 13 as National Weed Your Garden Day. This day, they say, is intended to remind gardeners to take an extra 5 or 10 minutes to weed the garden(s). My informal survey of gardening spouse and friends reveals that weeding is not considered a fun activity, but it does provide a chance for lots of good movement with all of the stretching and bending involved.

While National Calendar Day isn’t able to provide the origins for either weeding day or gardening exercise day they do offer some reasonable sounding suggestions for getting started and managing this type of movement (https://nationaldaycalendar.com/national-gardening-exercise-day-june-6/):

1. Start slowly. Just like any new workout program, small steps.

2. Use the right and left hands equally.  When raking or shoveling, switch hands every 5-10 minutes to give each side a good workout.

3. Make sure to breathe. Deep, cleansing breaths bring oxygen to those working muscles.

4. Lift with your legs! When lifting, bend your knees. Don’t lift with your back.

5. Drink plenty of water.

6. Enjoy your garden. Visit it often!

Specific to weeding they add the following tips (https://nationaldaycalendar.com/national-weed-your-garden-day-june-13/):

1. Committing to regular weeding to reduce weed growth.

2. Weeding after a good rainfall while the soil is soft makes it easier to clean by the roots. 

3. Weeding your garden with a friend to makes the job go faster and feel more like a celebration!

4. Rewarding yourself with tall glass of something iced and refreshing as you admire your weed-free garden.

How about you – have you been bitten by the garden bug or are you just enjoying your neighborhood blooms?

Amy Smith is a professor of Media & Communication and a communication consultant who lives north of Boston. Her research interests include gender communication and community building. Amy spends her movement time riding the basement bicycle to nowhere, walking her two dogs, and waiting for it to get warm enough for outdoor swimming in New England.

Christine’s Meditative Afternoon
fitness · habits · meditation · nature · October

Christine’s Meditative Afternoon

Christine Hennebury2 Comments

The Thanksgiving holiday gave me the opportunity to have a nice, slow start to my week on Monday.

I took Khalee for a walk and, even though it was windy, I took time to tune into my surroundings, noticing how the leaves have changed (or fallen), how the river noises are quieter, and how everything smells a little different right now.

A light haired dog on a green leash. Shadows from the dog and her owner are being cast on nearby grass.
It was kind of windy today but Khalee and I still enjoyed our walk. Image description: a photo of a light-haired medium-sized dog on a green leash is facing away from the camera while standing on a gravel path next to some grass. My shadow and Khalee’s are visible on the grass. Because it is late afternoon in autumn, the sun is low so our shadows are VERY long and we look disproportionately tall.

When I came home, I took down the load of clothes I had hung earlier. (It was a fine day on clothes, as the saying goes.) This task can be pretty mundane (or even boring) but today it was routine in a good way – repetitive actions with positive results.

A line of laundry in the late afternoon autumn sunlight
The repeated actions of hanging (and taking down) laundry) are meditative in their own way. Image description: a line of laundry hanging in my yard on a late autumn afternoon. The sun is shining through leaves so there are patches of sun and shadow The clothesline stretches from my patio to my shed so aside from the laundry, the photo shows some potted plants, a lawn chair with a red pillow, my patio rail, and some trees and my red-painted shed in the background.

As I turned with my basket of clean clothes, I noticed how inviting my swing looked and I remembered how much I enjoyed meditating while sitting there cross-legged the other day.

An outdoor shot of a hammock and a large round swing hanging from trees in the corner of a backyard. The grass in front of the trees is covered in brown leaves.
Two of my favourite parts of my backyard. Image description: a photo of one corner of my yard where my brown and orange hammock hangs from two trees and a round swing with green trim hangs from one of the branches. My wooden fence is one background and my (still green!) grass is littered with crunchy brown leaves.

So I decided to meditate there again today.

An outdoor shot of a woman (from the shoulders up) in her backyard.
No, I’m not actually meditating here, obviously. I was trying to use the back camera on my phone and took umpteen photos, each more bizarre looking than the last, and I fluked into this one. I decided to roll with it. Image description: an outdoor photo of me in my backyard. I am sitting on a round swing but it’s not visible in the photo. I am wearing a blue fleece jacket, my light brown hair is pulled back from my face in a cloth band, and my eyes are closed. I am smirking and I’m wearing one headphone. Grass, trees, my fence, (and part of my orange and brown hammock) are visible in the background.

And that brings me to 51 days of meditation in a row.

When I opened the Insight Timer app today, it offered this very appropriate quote for how I felt at the end of my meditative afternoon:


Mental health is not a destination,
but a process. It’s about how you
drive, not where you’re going.

– NOAM SHPANCER, PHD

I liked how, today, I have ‘driven’ myself calm instead of driving myself around the proverbial bend.

Wishing you all ease for the week ahead. Please try not to cram 5 days of work into a 4 day week. 💚⭐️