Why I hike.

Here's the list.  Compiled on a napkin with a Sharpie while realizing just how much I've missed hiking while healing from my ankle injury.

This is what I find when I'm out there; whether with a group or alone in the woods, on a trail, a mountain or even downtown Atlanta.

And here it is clearer (I know my handwriting is bad when I'm mid-thought).

Solace - a sense of comfort.  A feeling that everything is going to be ok.

Serenity - everything slows down.  Peace comes more often when I'm out and away from the distractions.

Sanity - after the trauma from last year, I was told to seek out ways to maintain a healthy balance in my life.  With each step comes an awareness of me.  Standing, even after the mishaps that brought me to the edge and back. 

Stillness - shhhhhhh..........

Social - You know what I've noticed? People who go hiking are good people.  We are social creatures.  Even me, when I can often find solitude more comforting than groups, need to be with other people.

Strength - I am still standing.  Said that just above, but it's true.  And the strength I find when I've spent time to get away and recharge is 'priceless'.

Spiritual - It is out there where I find a true sense of God; of something greater than this world.  A presence that beckons me to move on, to not surrender, but to find a deeper resolve and commitment to listening to the voices that I hear so clearly when I get away.

So my encouragement would be this.  Find your own HIKING!  You may not find the same experience that I do when you go for a hike or a long walk, but there is something that brings forth similar thoughts in each of us.  Maybe it's Fishing, Gardening, Writing, Helping out at an Animal Shelter.  

But no matter what speaks to you, GO AND FIND IT and make it an important part of your world.

And with that, I bid you Solace, Serenity, Sanity, Stillness, a Social Realization, Strength and a Deeper Spiritual Bond Inside.