Weeks 22-26 - Not Dead Yet!

I know you're sitting on the edge of your seat... Is Ali still hiking?  She must have quit.  Where is the latest blog post?  Well allow me to put your mind at ease... I'm still hiking and have been every week!  I did take a little pause in writing, as the Vermont Summer sun has been calling me...  So I eagerly responded.  We went canoe camping at Green Mountain Reservoir and Middle Saranac Lake in the Adirondacks.  We've also had many visitors filling our home with fun and merriment.  I didn't intend to pause my posts, it just seemed to happen, but I've quite missed the process of stringing sentences together as I reflect upon my week, my hike, and the balance between being a mom and dreaming up a career that I love.  I hadn't realized how much I'd come to enjoy writing and I'm happy to be typing away again.   

Another rather fun and time consuming part of our summer thus far has been the addition of 21 solar panels to the yard, shed, and soon to be roof.  Because of our recent electric appliance acquisitions, (plug in hybrid, heat pump for the living room, and heat pump hot water heater), a better way to get electricity was in great need.  I'm happy to report that Bristol Electronics has almost finished the job and my backyard is once again quiet and peaceful.  For now.  I am currently enjoying a view of the ground panels as I gaze over my significantly dug up (and put back together, and newly grass-seeded) yard.  As I survey the scene, I can't help but imagine the many more iterations of change to come... like the garden fence (damn woodchucks), the fire pit for marshmallow roasts, and the new and soon to be reorganized flower beds.  

It does come to mind that all of my outdoor projects make it a little difficult to complete or balance my other burgeoning career dreams.  And it does come to mind that playing hostess to all the wonderful friends visiting from far and near, bringing joy and laughter into our still new home, does indeed slow down the process of completing my book reports and internship planning.  Full disclosure - focus is not my forte, especially when the outdoors or friends are beckoning!  It's much easier for me to entertain and comfort others than it is to stick to my tasks and schedule.  I am finding it so easy to love this summer, so easy to soak my bones in the sunlight, so easy to get dirt under my nails in the garden, so easy to frolic in the sprinkler with my kiddo, so easy to put down my reading and take up a rake or shovel or my hiking boots.  And when what I'm seeking is joy and fulfillment, how could I say no to these simple Summer tasks while the weather is delightful and the sounds of birds and lawn mowers fill the air? 

So, I choose not to scold myself for soaking up the summer, and for enjoying the bliss that is Vermont this time of year.  I choose keep hiking away up the lovely ledges trail every week and envisioning a career full of light and music and healing and yes, even money making!  I choose to allow rules and goals to get a little fuzzy when needed in order to take in a little vitamin D and refill my own batteries with what makes me feel amazing so that I can continue to be motivated to move toward a career of service and love.  And most of all, I choose to celebrate making it to the official 1/2 way mark along this 52 week journey of hiking the ledges trail in 2016!