We’ve all been there right? We all get irritated by slow drivers…or the person who pulls out in front of you and forces you to slam on your breaks…or that special model of car that apparently wasn’t built with a blinker…🙄
Unfortunately, we can’t avoid the slow or less-than-perfect drivers that we encounter in our daily lives. However, instead of letting our frustration take control in those situations, we can use mindfulness practices to help overcome that road rage.
The Importance of Being Mindful While Driving
There have been several occasions when I was irritated at being stuck behind a slow driver. Though I felt my Road Rage Meter soaring, I couldn’t pass them safely, so I waited. Inevitably, we soon came around a curve and a deer was standing in the middle of the road. Our slower speed allowed both myself and the driver in front of me, plenty of time and space to stop. But if I had raced around that corner…
On other occasions, we came over a hill and a cop was waiting on the other side. Because I was stuck behind the slow driver I knew I had nothing to fear, but if I had been happily zooming along at the speed I wanted to drive…my wallet would have been the one feeling the rage.
My point is, maybe that slow person has been placed in front of us for a reason. Call it a Guardian Angel, Fate, or the Universe stepping in, but maybe that obstacle in our path is actually there to help us.
Mindfulness Helps us Embrace the Current Moment and Decrease Road Rage
I try to see slow drivers as God (or the Universe, or Fate) telling me to slow down a little. I believe these situations present themselves to us as opportunities, chances to be more Present in the current situation that we find ourselves in.
I mentioned in a previous post how much I enjoy long drives on winding roads. When we find ourselves stuck behind a slow driver we can be mindful and appreciate the sunny day, or the scenic countryside, that we’re currently driving through. Or maybe this is our chance to connect more meaningfully with the person sitting next to us. Maybe it’s not a beautiful day at all, but rather the rain is drumming peacefully on the windshield; something I find to be incredibly relaxing.
I see (and hear) some people, in their cars, who appear to be very angry. They lash out at anyone who pulls out in front of them, or who doesn’t drive quickly enough. You can see them gesticulating wildly, or hear them yelling at another driver. (I’ve even seen people standing outside a stranger’s car, at a red light, screaming at them through the window. 😮)
This type of behavior is frightening to witness, but I also think it’s indicative of a larger problem in our society today. Many of us are overstressed and are strained to our limits. Some of us are hurting in one or more areas of our lives.
If we can show a little patience towards each other, to be understanding if someone pulls out in front of us (or wave an apology to them if we are at fault), if we can show just a little extra kindness towards each other, maybe it will make another person’s day. Maybe it will pull them out of the dark place they are in, just a little bit. Maybe it will give them a little hope that there is still some kindness in a world that can be difficult to navigate at times.
To Conclude
I get just as irritated with slow traffic (or the large family milling about, blocking my path at Walmart 😉) as the next person. But we never know when these obstacles are put in our lives for our benefit.
So the next time you find yourself stuck behind a slow–or bad–driver, instead of getting angry and yelling at them (or using gestures that you wouldn’t want your mother to see 😔), look at it as an opportunity…to spend a little more time enjoying the beauty of the world around you.
Besides, if we can put a little positive energy and light out into the world, I believe it will come back to us. Also, it’s a simple way to help make this big, blue ball we all live on a little better place, for everyone!
Do you have any suggestions for how to be more mindful while driving? Let me know if the comments!
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Happy New Year! A fresh, clean page is available to all of us again…so NOBODY SCREW IT UP! 😂 (the 2020’s have been rough ya’ll! 😓)
I mean it! In 2020 so many of us thought it was going to be “our year”…and we had a worldwide pandemic that shut the world down! 😷…
…then in 2021, we said, “It can’t get worse, right?”…and Omicron showed up and brought with it further economic collapse! 😩…
…then, in 2022 we said, “This year has to be better, right?”…and we ended up on the precipice of nuclear war 🤯 and COVID was still “a thing” (some of us caught it TWICE in 2022 and that was AFTER being double vaxi-boosted! 😡 🙄 😤 )…
…finally, 2023 rolled around and COVID is STILL somewhat of “a thing”, we’ve got wars going on in the Middle East AND Europe, and another–probably incredibly painful–election year is looming in the US 🙄…
…so, for the love of whatever you do or don’t pray to, nobody say ANYTHING this year, PLEASE! 🙏 DON’T jinx it! Just let the New Year come in, offer it some tea, and welcome it, quietly. 🙏 🤞 😂
I always feel a little melancholy on New Year’s Eve. I don’t like endings or goodbyes. They feel drug out like we’re forcing something that should be left to rest in peace. I feel this way about most endings, whether that be of the calendar year, a birth year, etc. I find myself impatient to move on to the adventure that lies ahead.
For me, this makes New Year’s Eve somewhat bittersweet. I always have the urge to throw off the shadow of the old year as quickly as possible and embrace the brightness of the new one.
New Year’s Day, on the other hand, I love! I LOVE new beginnings, new journeys, that “new car smell” the new year brings! 😉 New years, new birthdays, they’re all ripe with potential for us to turn over a new leaf, to move away from bad habits, to improve ourselves and our relationships! They’re so exciting!
I’m not gonna lie, at this point, I’m literally anxious about what 2024 might bring. I’m usually really optimistic about the new year and all the fun things that I see on the horizon. Unfortunately, after the last few years, I feel like we’re going into 2024 with our hands over our eyes, sneaking a peak through our fingers, just waiting to see what horrors we may behold. 😮 😝 (I’m also going to have a rough start to 2024, more on that later…)
Some good in 2023!
2023 did bring a few good things for the Trekkers…
—My blog continues to grow! It still isn’t where I’d like it to be, but I’ve survived some nasty Google updates and things are going ok!
–I’m continuing my study of other religions! In the last few years, I’ve read the entire Christian Bible, the Gnostic gospels, the Apocrypha, the Book of Mormon, and the Quran.
This last year I’ve also learned about the Jehovah’s Witness, the 7th Day Adventists, the Christian Scientists, and I read some lengthy portions of the Jewish Talmud.
I also want to read the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Wisdom of Solomon, and maybe the Ascension of Isaiah. I’ve got a book about the various Protestant denominations I’m interested in, and I want to possibly learn more about the Wiccans too…
Eventually, I may narrow my focus down to delving into the religious views of various American Indian tribes. So if anyone has any suggestions on reading material regarding these many groups, let me know in the comments!…
–The Trekkers both turned 40 this year and had some awesome travels in 2023! The Trekkers knocked a few places off our bucket list this year by enjoying Vegas, Death Valley, and some epic alien adventures for our 40th birthdays! We also got to make our usual visits to Colorado and some family on the East Coast. You can read about many of those adventures at the links below:
We also enjoyed doing some hiking, camping, and getting to check out the Medicine Bows (the Snowys) in Wyoming!
I’m prayerfully hopeful 2024 is better for all of us!
Now for some personal news…
I’m going to have a bit of a rough time of it in January. We’ve known for several years that I have large fibroids on my uterus. The doctor has now decided it’s time to evict that troublesome organ (I wasn’t using it anyway. 😉) So, barring any (unforeseen) circumstances if all goes according to plan, I will be undergoing a total, open hysterectomy around the middle of January.
Recovery is going to SUCK, but the good news is, we’ve known this was coming for quite a while and I’m feeling pretty well-prepared for it. Thanks to my incredibly flexible, mostly-work-from-home job I’m hoping to only have to take a few weeks fully off work. I also have a strong support system with my family, some awesome coworkers, and the best hubby I could ask for!
The doctors are pretty confident there’s no cancer or anything too scary to be concerned about. My uterus is VERY large (comparable to a 5 – 6 month pregnancy) so it makes the surgery a bit more complicated, but I’m working with a super-specialist surgeon who has experience in this area. Mr. Trekker says I’m going to have one “gnarly” scar–and I already have some ideas for that in the future if it ends up being “gnarlier” then I hope…(I’ll give you a hint, it involves a tattoo and a SUPER cute little alien 😉 😂 😇 .)
So prayers, good wishes/luck, white light, and anything else you want to send my way are GREATLY appreciated! 🙏 🤞
I DO continue to pray for a happy, healthy 2024 for everyone. Hopefully, we can find some healing of our divisions throughout our country and the world. I also hope we each have something that improves in our lives in the next year. I truly want 2024 to mean better things for all of us!
So Happy New Year folks! (and maybe get a helmet…just in case! 😮 😉)
What are your hopes for 2024? Tell me in the comments!
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This has always been one of my favorite holidays, so on this Christmas Eve Day I thought I’d reflect on some holiday memories from my childhood, and some new traditions that Mr. Trekker and I have been implementing into our own, little family.
Trekker Family Traditions
Family Christmas traditions are funny, and growing up, my family was no exception. Time for a bit of a confession…I never really believed in Santa (shocking, I know 😮). Some people think that’s sad, but I was always richly blessed during this time of the year, so I never felt like I missed out on much. Below are some of the reasons why I went without this holiday tradition:
1) We didn’t have a fireplace growing up, so even as a child, my overly logical, skeptical mind was like, “ummm…how would that work?”
2) My mom always put presents under the tree when she was done wrapping them. I’m not sure how this got started, but to me, a tree looks naked if there are no presents under it (and yes, I still do this too.)
Also, I always helped her shop for, and wrap, presents for my cousins, so I kinda figured that if she was “Santa” for them…it’s pretty obvious who Santa was for me! 😉
Also, also, inevitably, I always ended up finding one of my presents before the big day and it was ALWAYS on accident (truly!) One year, my mom sent me to her closet to get something for her, completely forgetting one of my unwrapped presents was hidden in there! 😂
3) I grew up in a very religious family, especially on my dad’s side, so that aspect of the holiday was always stressed more than Santa or the gifts (Grandpa and Uncle were pastors after all 😉). I think this was good though, as it always helped me to keep the commercialism of the holiday in perspective.
One tradition we had for a few years, when the kids were young, is to have a birthday cake for Baby Jesus on Christmas Eve. We even got to sing “Happy Birthday” to Him (and there was cake so…😁!) I think that is such a cool tradition. It’s a fun way to help keep the true meaning of Christmas front-and-center for kids!
Not everyone likes these sweet treats (I do!) but they represent a special memory for me. We would have them every year at my Grandma’s house at Christmas!
4) Most of my Christmas memories from my childhood are from the BIG gatherings we used to have at my grandparents’ house on Christmas Eve. The WHOLE family (we’re talking like 20 people) would gather there, with mounds of presents stacked everywhere. After dinner, we always dressed in our best (I usually got a pretty, new dress each year, several times my mom even made them!) and we went to the Christmas Eve church service, which has always been my favorite of the whole year!
The church would be decked out in beautiful lights and decorations, and it would always end with a moving version of “Silent Night”, lit only by candlelight. Then, the lights would be brought back up, and while we basked in the acrid, sulphuric smoke that wafted from the tips of the blown-out candles (I LOVE that smell), we’d be sent off to a rousing rendition of “Joy to the World!”
Then we’d return to Grandma’s house for…PRESENTS! (This is probably another reason why I never believed in Santa. 😂)
The story my grandfather told me for starting the tradition of opening gifts on Christmas Eve was that my mom and her three siblings used to wake my grandparents up REALLY early on Christmas morning to open presents (of course). The “old folks” didn’t like it, so…they started opening presents Christmas Eve instead, so they could sleep in Christmas morning! 🤣 (To be fair, my mom disputes this story. 😂) I always thought I was lucky, all the other kids had to wait a whole other sleep to get their presents, HA! 😉
Changing Holiday Traditions
As an adult, the holidays always seem a little weird, especially when you move far away and only return home occasionally. They say you “can’t go back again” and in many ways this is true. The experience is never quite the same as the rose-colored memories you have from childhood.
I have SO MANY amazing memories associated with this holiday. I find these days though, my feelings are somewhat bittersweet. I still LOVE all the shiny lights, carols, the beauty and peace of a candlelit church service, and time spent with family…but Christmas doesn’t quite feel the same as I remember as a kid. For the last 20 years, things have been changing, as all of us “kids” have been moving out (and away) and getting busy with our own lives.
You watch once-vibrant grandparents age, slow, and eventually, one year, become only a memory…so all the memories made with them start to dim, as well.
It just never quite feels the same as the days when Grandma would crawl around on the floor with us kids, with silly string in her hair. One year the tree fell over on her as she rooted around for that last Christmas present (true story, there is video evidence of this somewhere! 😁)
This is my favorite pic of that crazy lady, it shows her in her element…with her grandchildren. This was Christmas, circa 1986, and yes, that brown mop of hair you see on the left would be me.
Relatives or childhood friends you were once almost inseparable from, you may now find you have little to talk about outside the updates you’re already aware of from social media. While some family members are lost, new ones are added (both through marriage and birth). While these are, certainly, blessings, the additional people–and their responsibilities to their own families–create complexities of their own.
Traditions change. What used to be a gathering at Grandma’s house, of what seemed like 100 people (when you were 5), is now a smaller group sitting around another table, or even gathering at a restaurant where you can pay a stranger to cook for you and clean up afterwards! 😉
It’s almost impossible to get everybody together at the same time anymore. Everyone lives all over the country (sometimes all over the world!) and we’re all busy with our own families (and families-in-law). Even on the rare occasions we DO all get together, there are so many other distractions (many of us have young kids of our own now).
It just isn’t the same as when we used to stay up till 3 am on Christmas Eve, my cousins and I, playing with our new toys together, while the adults played cards in the other room…
Your concept of family may change too. It’s no longer just about blood relations (especially as various in-laws or step-family members are added). Not everyone was blessed with a close-knit, loving family. Others may have no close family left or those that remain may live too far away to visit with every holiday. For many, friends make a wonderful, adoptive family.
There is always a sense of loss of family members, and “the old ways”. One of the only real guarantees we have in life is that things WILL change. This can be a good thing, though. We can store up wonderful memories of bygone days, and continue some old traditions from times past while seeking to embrace new practices that will carry with them wonderful memories of their own.
New Traditions
Mr. Trekker and I have started to develop our own traditions. Christmas Eve, I make homemade lasagna, then we open presents with my parents (gotta keep that tradition alive!) and still enjoy a candlelit, church service. We also like to watch a “big” Christmas movie that night, like “It’s a Wonderful Life”. 😁 Then, before bed, we read “The Night Before Christmas”. (When I was a kid we often read the Christmas story out of the Book of Luke, from the Bible, but now we kinda figure we’ve just heard it at church, so… 😉) Then…for the big finale…we have a little slumber party in the living room with the dog, under the glowing lights of the Christmas tree! Who needs kids to have fun?! 😂
When Christmas morning comes, we start it off with homemade cinnamon rolls! Then, it’s finally Present Time with Mr. Trekker’s side of the family (we “Zoomed” Christmas morning with relatives who live in far-off places for years, long before COVID made it cool! 😝) Then it’s time for the big, Christmas dinner! Finally, we end the evening on the couch watching “A Christmas Story” (the one with Ralfie…”you’ll shoot your eye out!”)
To Conclude
Change is inevitable, and I will CHERISH those Christmas memories from when I was a kid for the rest of my life. But I am also excited to make new memories, in the new situations we find ourselves, and with the new friends and family who may be joining us in the years to come.
I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday! Enjoy your traditions with your own friends and families (be they blood-relation or otherwise and whether they are in-person or virtual) this holiday. Merry Christmas to you all (andas Tiny Tim would say, “God Bless us, everyone!” 😉)
Tell me about your family’s Christmas traditions in the comments!
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In this post, I discuss what I’m thankful for on this Thanksgiving holiday, as well as why we eat that giant, delicious bird.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone! (or at least to our friends in the US. 😁)
Tomorrow is Turkey Day! I think this is such a great holiday because no gifts are expected. We can just focus on good food, a day of celebrating the blessings in our lives, and getting to spend time with people we care about.
Did I mention the food? 😉 If you love to eat, how can you not delight in this holiday? 🤤
I think it’s spectacular to have an entire day (or even an entire weekend) geared toward giving thanks for the blessings that surround us. We would do well to engage in this practice many times throughout the year, but at least we’re on the right track…
With all the “yuck” we’ve been dealing with the last few years: COVID, political and social unrest, wars, and the economic slump, I think it’s especially important to be aware of and thankful for the blessings that are present in our lives.
How Thanksgiving Became a Holiday…
Harvest celebrations have occurred throughout the world since the first people successfully gathered crops in the fall, from seeds they planted in the spring. The tradition is officially recognized as coming to the US with the Pilgrims.
Growing up, we were always taught that the Pilgrims had it rough that first year in the “New World”. They didn’t know much about what the local climate was like, how long the growing seasons were, or what plants grew well in these soils. Had it not been for people from the local tribes, who knew this land well as they had come to it LONG before, who saved the colonists’ sorry butts, they may not have survived at all. That definitely seems like something worth celebrating!
Of course, history tells us that for centuries thereafter, the newcomers went on to repay the kindness of their saviors by violently evicting, and in many cases trying to eradicate them, but I digress…😔
I also find it interesting that this is not just a special day in the US. Many other countries celebrate a similar holiday (though at different times of the year) including Canada and various places throughout Europe, the Caribbean, and Africa. Obviously, Americans aren’t the only ones who see a Day of Thanks as being worth commemorating.
Why Does the US Eat Turkey on Thanksgiving?
There doesn’t appear to be any evidence that a large, roasted bird was served that first Thanksgiving in the “New World”. It’s possible, as the fowl were present in the US at the time, but other critters, such as geese and deer, were more commonly hunted.
It seems the tradition of eating turkey arose more from the fact that, because of their size, turkeys can feed many mouths. They also didn’t offer much additional worth, aside from food (people didn’t harvest their eggs or feathers) so they weren’t considered a loss. Also, the bird is readily available in the wild and has since proven fairly easy (and relatively cheap) to mass produce for food. Therefore, it made economic and logistical sense to use it for celebrations where large amounts of people needed to be served.
The turkey has become so well connected with this holiday that in the US, we have one particularly odd tradition where the President gives an official pardon to a few turkeys! 😮
What I am thankful for…
On this coming day of thanks, I have much to be thankful for:
…a loving and supportive spouse..
…caring family and friends…
…we are blessed with healthy bodies…
…I have a steady job, with decent pay, that allows me to help provide for my family…
…there is food on my table…
…there is a roof over my head…
…I have clothes on my back…
…and, perhaps most importantly of all, we live in a country that relishes personal freedoms (there are SO MANY people the world over who can’t say that).
Also a shout-out to all the companies who choose to put profits aside and allow their employees to spend the entire holiday with their families. Good on you!
What else does one need, really?
I know it’s probably wishful thinking, but I also hope that on this day, maybe we can put some of our many differences aside, and just enjoy being with others…crazy idea, I know. 😝
Now, go enjoy some turkey and mashed potatoes! 🦃🍗…forget shopping on Black Friday, #OptOutside instead, enjoy some nature, exercise and wear off all those holiday calories…and get excited because after tomorrow…we can FINALLY enjoy Christmas!
What are your Thanksgiving traditions? Tell me about them in the comments!
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In this post, I discuss the Time Change; why it’s “a thing” and the effect it has on me!
Want to travel back in time? Thanks to “Fall Back”, you get to, and in a couple of months, you get to travel into the future when we “Spring Forward” again. 😝
The time change is so weird! Why do we do it? 😋
For the first 18 years of my life, I lived in a state that didn’t observe Daylight Saving Time. So, during my formative years, we never changed our clocks. In the winter, prime-time TV would start at 8 pm and the late news would come on at 11. During the summer, Prime Time would start at 7 pm with the late news coming on at 10. Other than that, we never noticed any differences at all (though we lived near the Michigan border and I knew that state did this weird, time change thing 😜).
I always reach a point in the year that while I’m not excited for the sun to go down before 5…I can’t WAIT for it to come up before 7 again! It isn’t fun getting up in the dark…walking Puppers in the dark (while still half asleep)…even eating breakfast before the sun peeks over the hills on the eastern side of town…😝 …I can’t imagine how hard it would be to wake up if we didn’t follow the time change and we lost another hour of daylight (at least) in the mornings before hitting the shortest day of the year in December!
By the time Christmas rolls around the sun will be coming up almost as late again (but not quite! Oddly enough, once the time changes the sun never rises quite as late as it does the last week before the Change. The difference is only about 5 minutes, but it’s still BETTER! 😉) Also, by Christmas, I’m excited about the holidays and there are lights and pretty decorations all over!
My first Time Change experience
My freshman year in college, I got to experience my first “Fall Back”, I was so excited! 😉 Do you know what’s really crazy? I went to college in the same state I grew up in! 😂
“Huh?!” you may say. So, it’s complicated. Back then, the very few counties in Indiana, that were near Chicago, did observe the Time Change. This was because many of the people who lived there actually worked in Chicago (or at least northeast Illinois).
My new college friends thought my reaction was a little strange. I found the idea that we got a whole extra hour added to our lives to be fascinating.
There was one particular guy there, that night, who found my weird reaction amusing…I guess it didn’t bother him too much though since he asked me to marry him a “short” eight years later! 😂
The History of Daylight Saving Time
Time Change has been “a thing” in the US since the early 1900s, at least in some areas. It became popular in the ’70s (before my time, for the record 😉) during the gas shortage/energy crisis because, in theory, it would help to reduce energy use.
This may be true in certain locations, but in western South Dakota, we have less than nine hours of daylight during the darkest points of the winter. Whether those hours fall 7 – 4 or 8 – 5 doesn’t really matter…you still have more than 14 hours of darkness to contend with. 😝
Various state governors have also implemented the Time Change to help keep school children safer, as falling back an hour allows more daylight around the time the kids are traveling to school.
Standard Time is actually helpful
I do think the Time Change is ultimately a good thing, at least for those of us living in the more extreme latitudes. If we stayed on Daylight Saving Time all year, the sun wouldn’t come up until AFTER 8 am during the darkest months…no thanks!
In contrast, if we stayed on Standard Time all year, the sun would (literally) be coming up around 3:30 in the morning in the summer–especially seeing as we have an east-facing bedroom, I’m gonna pass on this one, as well. 😋
So, while it may be a complete pain in the a$$, I think the time change does make the best use of the extensive variations in the amount of daylight we experience over the course of a year.
The effects of the time change
I’ve talked at length about my struggle with SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder), and the time change usually triggers it fully. Funnily enough, I don’t remember EVER experiencing it growing up in Indiana. Not even when it seemed like we didn’t see the sun from October through March (unless temps were below zero 🥶)–for anyone who isn’t aware, the Great Lakes region is known for being rather cloudy, especially in the colder months.
I don’t even remember noticing the dark so much in college, which was the first time I experienced true darkness before 5 pm. I’m not sure if it was because I was so busy with classes, homework, and college life, that I just didn’t have time to pay attention? Or if life was relatively easy, being that I was a college student without any major responsibilities 😇?
Another funny note: Indiana’s full state does now participate in Time Change (they started after I moved away), but they’re STILL weird. The vast majority of the state is in the Eastern time zone and changes with New York City, but those few counties near the Illinois border are still in the Central time zone and change with Chicago (for the same reasons I mentioned above).
November is a bad month for SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder)
I struggle with SAD the most during the three weeks before Thanksgiving. The weather in the Black Hills is usually fairly decent, but Fall does tend to be one of our cloudier times of the year. That, and the lack of daylight, tends to exacerbate any SAD symptoms I’m currently feeling.
It’s INCREDIBLY frustrating when you’re already feeling lousy and Mother Nature just smiles at you and keeps kicking your emotional butt with Her cruddy weather…but there’s something oddly calming about it too. Like She does not give a SH*T about how we feel. She just does her thing, completely oblivious and ambivalent about our needs or comforts. It’s humbling, and I find the consistency of it somewhat comforting, strangely enough.
Fortunately, we have had an ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS, warm fall this year! We also tend to have GORGEOUS sunsets this time of the year!
This time of year, the excitement and decorations of Halloween are over, but it’s too early for Christmas (despite what some might tell you. 🙄) I’m not sure which is the chicken, and which is the egg, but I also find my SAD symptoms compound (or are worsened) by any other stressors/worries I have going on. I think SAD heightens your sensitivity and lessens your tolerance overall, making you more susceptible to the negative effects of these other triggers.
I LOVE Thanksgiving though, so once we get to that week it gets easier. Then the Christmas Season is in full swing, complete with all the lights, music, and holiday spirit, so I’m happier. Things are also a bit easier with my rambunctious, four-legged “office mate” to keep me company (she doesn’t seem depressed. 😉🐶)
Who can be unhappy with that face looking at you?
So, for the next few weeks, I’ll be hanging out in front of my therapy lamp while popping the Vitamin D3. 😋 We just gotta buckle down and “embrace the darkness” for the next few months. Fear not though…it’s only about seven weeks till the Winter Solstice, and then the days will start getting longer again! 🌞
Are you #teamtimechange? Tell me your opinion in the comments!
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In this post, I discuss the Colorado side of Dinosaur National Monument.
In this post, I reviewed the Trekkers’ visit to the Utah side of Dinosaur National Monument. In this post, I’ll be discussing the Colorado side (as the park spans both states).
Scenic Drives on the Colorado Side of Dinosaur National Monument
One of the main things we enjoyed on the Colorado side of the monument was the scenic drives. There are several found throughout this portion of the park, though all but Harper’s Corner Road are suggested for high-clearance vehicles only.
As I mentioned in Part 1, under good conditions most of these roads are great to drive (honestly several of them were less bumpy than some of the paved, county roads we drove on). I would have felt comfortable taking any vehicle with a higher wheelbase on these (such as an Outback), and we saw several SUVs.
I cannot stress enough though, that we were there in the most ideal weather possible. According to the park, several of the roads are completely impassable when wet. This seemed likely as we crossed many dry stream beds that could easily fill with stormwater runoff. It also makes sense that the powdery dirt that covers the surface of many of these routes could quickly turn into slippery ooze when wet. Many of the roads also only have one way in or out, so, if you reach the end, and then a rainstorm comes…you may not be able to get back out again. Several also lead through low-lying canyons which are likely to flood quickly in a heavy rain event. So please, be wary before attempting these roads if any bad weather conditions are present or expected.
Click here for the NPS website for the park which will have up-to-date info on current road conditions.
Harper’s Corner Road
This is the main road through the Colorado section of Dinosaur National Monument. You access it near Dinosaur, Colorado. This is also one of the only paved roads in the park. At the end of it is the Harper’s Corner Trail which offers INCREDIBLE views.
Hiking on Harper’s Corner Trail
This trail is beautiful! At times you are hiking on an almost knife-edge of rock, with the Green River winding along beside you on one side, and the Yampa River on the other. Did I mention you are up to 2500 feet ABOVE these waterways throughout the hike? 😮 It got my acrophobic-heart pumping a bit! (It really wasn’t too bad. I only felt nervous in one spot where you get a healthy view of a chute, down a cliffside. 😋)
I would rate this trail as “easy”. It’s about three miles in total length (out and back) and it doesn’t have much elevation gain. Just about anyone wearing tennis shoes should be able to handle it (though I should note the park is at an altitude of over 5000 feet, so “flatlanders” may want to take it slow. 😉) At the end of the trek you are treated to an AMAZING view down the canyon, and of Steamboat Rock from above, behind which the Yampa and Green Rivers meet.
One of the incredible lookout points from the Harper’s Corner Trail. That’s the Green River far below, you can maybe see how it got its name.Steamboat Rock, from above…
Echo Park Road
This route takes you from Harper’s Corner Road, east, to Echo Park and its campground. This area is called a “park”, like several other locations in Colorado. It is really just a flat, meadow-like area. It was cool! (Hint, it’s called “Echo Park” for a reason, I encourage you to experiment with this 😁.)
This route traverses the lower “benches” of land that can be seen from above when traversing the Harper’s Corner trail. They are called this as they are wide sections of terrain. They literally look like benches, or steps, that rim the lower, river canyons.
The road winds through an incredible canyon where sheer rock towers over you on both sides. From here you can see Steamboat Rock from the bottom, where it’s much more impressive.
There is a short hike along the river’s edge that is around two miles long (out-and-back). It takes you to the confluence of the Yampa and Green Rivers. There is also a place on this road called Whispering Cave. It appeared fairly unassuming, at first, as it’s just a vertical slit in the rock wall of the canyon, that you can stand in. This was until we figured out its secret (and how it got its name). If people stand at either end of this long slit and whisper REALLY quietly…you can hear each other VERY well (thanks to the unique acoustics of the rock structure). And it’s far more effective than if you try the same thing outside (we checked! 😉)
This route takes you from Echo Park Road, east, all the way to US 40 in Elk Springs (though there are a few places you can bug out before you get that far, dependent on road conditions). This was the most difficult route we encountered. The drive was beautiful though, with yellow grassland and scrub brush spread before you, all the way to the rock walls that rise above you on two sides.
Even this road wasn’t bad at this time of year, though I could see it being difficult if it was wet. It was the steepest drive we took and it had the sharpest turns. This was also the longest route we attempted, by far. It was fun, but we covered less than half of it (around 20 miles) and that took almost two hours. This did appear to be the most difficult part of the trek. According to the map, the rest of it looked flatter and easier (and some parts may have been roughly paved). We did finally escape, through a blessed hole in the rock wall called Thanksgiving Gorge (I think I know why they give it that name!) just as daylight was waning. We were rewarded with a herd of elk…and LOTS of cows! 😋
Sunlight is waning on the Yampa Bench Road
Beautiful Canyons in the Colorado section of Dinosaur National Monument
Flaming Gorge Reservoir
On Sunday we took US 191 north of Vernal, Utah, to the Flaming Gorge Reservoir. It was named for its vibrant, red cliffs that were cut by the Green River. The gorge spans both northeastern Utah, and southeastern Wyoming, just to the north. It is absolutely beautiful, and the dam that created the reservoir is pretty stunning, as well.
Flaming Gorge ReservoirThe Flaming Gorge Dam
Gates of Lodore
From the dam, we then continued north on Route 191, just across the Wyoming line, and picked up Brown’s Park Road. This we took east, back into Colorado. From here we followed signs to the Gates of Lodore, another INCREDIBLE canyon that was cut by the Green River. It sits on the northern tip of the monument. This route was a mixture of well-graded dirt and rough pavement, though any passenger car should be able to handle it, at least in good weather.
I was pronouncing this location like “Gates of Mordor”, from Lord of the Rings, but was quickly corrected by a local. Apparently, it’s supposed to sound more like “Gates of la-DOOR”. 😂
There’s an easy, and fairly short, hiking trail that leads to the mouth of the canyon, from the parking area. Due to its sheer, rock walls, there is no access through this rocky cleft, except by watercraft on the river itself.
Gates of Ladore!
Crouse Canyon/Brown’s Park Scenic Backway
We returned back to Vernal by way of the Crouse Canyon/Brown’s Park Scenic Backway. This is another route that cuts through a beautiful canyon, and then a meadowy area.
This road was one of the rougher routes we traveled on and was basically only one lane wide. This was unexpected as it was listed as a scenic drive in one of the local tour brochures, and wasn’t suggested to be high-clearance. Our truck handled it easily but had we known how rough it would be we would have aired the tires down, just for a smoother ride. In good conditions, any SUV with a higher wheelbase should be able to handle it (we passed a CRV or two) but I wouldn’t suggest attempting it in a typical passenger car (just because there were some rocks and ruts that had to be navigated). An Outback probably could have managed it, but we would have been extra cautious.
The drive was BEAUTIFUL though, with the yellow and orange leaf colors set against the red rock of the canyon walls, which contrasted with the blue of the sky above. Click here for a short video of it!
We returned home via US 40 east, through Craig, Steamboat Springs, and Rabbit Ears Pass. This is the one portion of northern Colorado we hadn’t been to yet.
From there we took Route 14 north to Walden, then headed north to Laramie, Wyoming, and back to the Black Hills. FYI, this is a great way to avoid the traffic in the Denver area, and much of I-25, if you’re heading north from northern Colorado! It offers some great views too!
You won’t find a better time to visit this park than Fall. Tree colors are bright, crowds are light and temperatures are cool. So the next time you’re looking for a good autumn vacation spot, think of the out-of-the-way Dinosaur National Monument!
Have you visited this incredible place? Tell me about your favorite parts of it in the comments!
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In this post, I review Old Baldy, a trail loop near Spearfish, South Dakota that the Trekkers frequent.
There is a great, under-appreciated place to view fall colors in the Black Hills, Old Baldy, near Spearfish, South Dakota! While it’s beautiful in the fall, the Trekkers enjoy it throughout the year as it’s never crowded.
Where is the Old Baldy Trailhead?
The Old Baldy trailhead is on Tinton Road, about halfway between Spearfish and Lead. You can get there from either town.
From Spearfish, the easiest way is to take Exit 8 off of I-90, for McGuigan Road. Take this south to the T-intersection with Tinton Road, and then turn right towards the forest. Take Tinton Road about 10 miles to the trailhead.
If you’re coming from Lead, take US 85 west (towards Wyoming) for about 18 miles out of Lead, until you reach the turnoff for Tinton Road. Take Tinton Road about 18 miles to the trailhead.
The road is gravel, however, it is well-graded. As long as you don’t mind your car getting dusty, any passenger vehicle can handle it under good conditions. In the winter, though, it is rarely plowed past the Iron Creek Lake turnoff when coming from Spearfish. A high-clearance, 4WD vehicle is often needed to drive this road under those conditions, and even then it is often impassable unless you’re on foot, skis, or are powered by a snowmobile.
I’m not sure if this area has been getting more snow in recent years (this part of the Hills receives some of the largest amounts of snow during the winter); or if the Forest Service just isn’t maintaining Tinton Road past the Iron Creek Lake turnoff; or if they’re intending it more for snowmobile usage. But whatever the reason, the road has been almost impassible for much of the winter, lately. One time, we got pretty stuck attempting to reach the trailhead (we were VERY fortunate we carry recovery gear).
What you will see on the Old Baldy Trail
This loop trail is around six miles in total length, with an additional spur to the Mt. Baldy summit that adds a little over 1.5 miles to the total hike. There is a “lake” that is signed, though I use that term VERY loosely. We’ve never actually seen any water in it. It should be called “Green Lake” because it looks like a meadow! There is a small stream that runs through the “lakebed”, but mostly you only see grass and cows near here. 😋
A word of warning, beware of the cows, as well as their “leavings”. 🤥 The National Forest leases this area to local ranchers, so you can find cows anywhere and everywhere near here during the summer.
The “lake” (yes, really!)Hey look, we found some water!
The trail winds through pine forests with aspen glens dispersed amongst them. It also traverses the edges of a few meadows and offers spectacular views of the surrounding landscape. This area is especially pretty in fall when the yellow of the aspen and green of the pine complement each other beautifully, especially as contrasted against the clear blue, Black Hills sky!
Besides the main loop, there is a spur of the Rimrock Trailthat can be accessed from here, as well. This side trail will take you to the rim of Spearfish Canyon. These are all prime places to enjoy the fall colors the Northern Hills are known for, without having to deal with the crowds you’ll find in the Canyon below.
The trail options here are really just one loop (other than the spur to the Rimrock Trail). If you go right at the fork, heading counterclockwise, you’ll hit the GORGEOUS aspen glen first, traversing the only real switchbacks found on the trail on the downhill.
If you do choose this route, the return trip is a little steeper, but I think it’s easier. There is more open space, so there is also more breeze if you’re warm. The open areas also provide you with INCREDIBLE views of the surrounding mountains and prairie. However, if it’s sunny in the summer, this area could be hotter as there is less shade…
Regardless of which fork you choose, the “lake” and the turnoff to the summit of the mountain are at the bottom of the hill. You know what this means! No matter which fork you pick, you have to climb back up the WHOLE return trip! 😛
If you start off on the left branch of the trail, going clockwise, you’ll hit the more open area of the loop on your descent. Facing this direction, you’ll actually be provided with more expansive views of the surrounding countryside.
Unfortunately, this will mean you have to face the “spirit-crushing switchbacks” (I HATE switchbacks!) through the aspen glen, on the way back up the hill. Because the trees in this area are thicker, it is also more shaded during the summer months. HOWEVER, the denser foliage also means there is less of a breeze…phew! Decisions, decisions!
Either way the aspen glen, especially, is INCREDIBLY beautiful in the fall months, not to mention the surrounding hillsides that are ablaze with yellow from all the aspen trees. The aspen glen is my favorite of the whole trail in the fall.
Author’s note: the American Indians who originally gave the Black Hills their name called them this because the pine forests made the Hills look dark from afar. In recent years, the pine trees have been decimated by pine beetles and some wildfires. Aspen trees grow EXTREMELY WELL in their wake. One wonders if a few hundred years from now, a more appropriate name for these hills may be the Aspen Hills, or the Yellow Hills–the color all the aspens turn in the fall…
This view is from one of the lookout points on the western edge of the loop
These days, if you visit this location, you will see some extensive storm damage. Multiple tornadoes actually went through here in recent summers! That’s a rare occurrence in the Black Hills!
One of the storms was especially nerve-racking for me, as the Trekker Parental Units (and Extended Family) were staying at a rental house near Lead at the time. They were outside the tornado’s track–thankfully–but only by about a mile. 😮 Fortunately, the baseball-sized hail that the storm dropped missed them as well! Helplessly watching that tempest on the radar, while I was sitting in the sunshine over an hour away, was enough to give me a few gray hairs!
When is the best time of year to visit the Old Baldy trail?
The trails are perfect for both summer and winter recreation IF you can reach them in the winter. If Tinton Road is passable as far as the trailhead when there is snow on the ground, the actual site can be hard to find as the sign is often buried by snow. Also, there is usually very little parking as the lane to the parking lot is not plowed.
So, you must make do with parking along the side of the road. In the past, we have come here multiple times to snowshoe or ski. Unfortunately, we haven’t been able to reach the site the last several years.
The difficulty in accessing the trailhead during the winter months is really a shame because it is GORGEOUS under the cover of snow. The sunbeams shine through the bare branches of the aspen trees while the pristine, white snow, and dark-brown bark, contrast perfectly with the dark green pine trees and blue sky. Make sure to wear layers, as it can get pretty windy up here since it’s near the top of the mountain.
This is a fun trail for mountain biking as well, heading downhill. 😋 Going back up can be a bit of a pain, especially if you ascend via the eastern leg of the loop, through the switchbacks. Both hikers and bikers need to be watchful for each other as there are several blind curves and collisions can happen if the bikes round them too quickly.
Horses are also allowed on this trail. It is imperative that bikers watch for these equines, who could shy and throw a rider, or hurt themselves (or the biker) if a bike came racing around a corner and startled them.
If you’re looking for a fine place to view fall colors in the Black Hills, and you’d like to avoid the usual crowds, check out Old Baldy! You’ll be glad you did!
Have you ever tried this trail in any season? Tell me about your experience in the comments!
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In this post, I discuss how detrimental I think it is that our society rushes us from one holiday to the next and how Mindfulness practices can help us keep our sanity, especially during the upcoming, Holiday Season.
Gird yourself for the Holidays folks, ready or not…they are coming! 😮
Here we go again…so I walked into my friendly, neighborhood, home store the other day, excited to see Halloween decorations on the shelves. It made perfect sense as we’re getting close to that fun holiday…and they were available…right across the aisle from the GIANT, CHRISTMAS tree, and decorations display! 🙄 EVERY year this happens and EVERY year it makes me irritated. 😝
Straight, No Chaser has a great song that speaks to this very issue
One of my biggest pet peeves is the overt rush to the Holiday Season, which seems to start in September. 😋 Why the rush? It completely goes against all principles of Mindfulness and being Present, or living in the moment.
I will acknowledge, that the pretty lights do help to lighten the mood as our days shorten…but there are plenty of Halloween/Fall-related decorations we could be focusing on right now! 😤
Christmas…in Fall?!
It seems like a week or two before Halloween each year, the seasonal sections of stores are already alight with Christmas decor. Not one or two things, here or there, mind you. No, there are rows upon rows of Christmas lights, outdoor and indoor decorations, and fake Christmas trees already filling the shelves.
This isn’t that big of a deal. It happens every year, so I know I should be prepared for it and should just ignore it. At the very least, it is NOT important enough to be wasting my precious, mental energyon…yet every year it irks me more! I just get irritated that while I’m busy thinking about goblins and ghouls, Christmas decorations are shining at me from the shelves. 😝
The stores have Halloween candy out in August! Seriously, if you buy the candy then, it would be gross come the actual holiday. And let’s be honest, who could keep it in their house that long without eating it?
Maybe that’s the plan of the stores and candy companies, get it out early so we start enjoying it…so then we have to buy more by the time the actual holiday comes. 🤔 They’re making us fat while simultaneously slimming our wallets! 😡 They probably partner with the weight-loss companies…we’re on to the conspiracy now though! 😉 (Ok, time to take off the tin-foil hat. 😇 )
Have we always rushed the Holidays?
I wonder if this rush to the Holidays is really a new thing? Maybe it has always been this way? The over-commercialization of Christmas is even mentioned in TheCharlie Brown Christmas movie from the 1960s…
Perhaps our rush to the next event we are anticipating is just a weakness of human nature? I wonder if people who participate in less, mainstream holidays experience this, as well? Are those who celebrate Diwali, Hanukkah or Kwanzaa allowed to enjoy these holidays in their proper season?
I think one reason this yearly phenomenon bothers me so much is that it makes me feel rushed. I feel like it adds an additional level of stress to the everyday pressureI already struggle with. It’s no wonder we have so much ADHD and anxiety in our world today, we’re constantly being rushed from one commercialized holiday to the next and never given the opportunity to rest and enjoy a given event in its moment.
Stop Rushing the Holidays!
You barely finish your hot dog and watch the 4th of July fireworks…and “Back to School” and pumpkins are being rammed down your throat…then, a month before Halloween even occurs, and THREE FULL MONTHS before the Christmas holiday, I’m supposed to start getting excited about Santa and his reindeer…?
It seems like we skip right over Thanksgiving, which is so sad. That is the holiday where no gifts are expected, we can just enjoy the moments spent with family and friends. It’s the one time where we are actually supposed to reflect on our many blessings and how thankful we are for them. It’s one of the most mindful holidays of them all!
…then with the Christmas holidays barely past, we’re already seeing chocolate hearts for Valentine’s Day…then green clovers start appearing for St. Patrick’s Day…and shortly after, candied bunnies and chicks, for Easter, will be on the horizon…then the red, white and blue, patriotic decorations start flying for the summer festivities…and before we know it we’ve returned to Back-to-School and Halloween again!…and I swear we JUST took our Christmas tree down a few weeks ago! 😅
No wonder the years seem to fly by, we’re all living three months in the future at all times! It reminds me of a scene from A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving. Upon learning that another holiday is just around the corner, Charlie Brown’s sister, Sally, states, “I haven’t even finished eating all of my Halloween candy yet!” I remember having this same thought as a child. (Regular readers will note I reference Charlie Brown rather frequently. The Trekkers like Charlie Brown ok, those stories taught me good lessons during my childhood, I’m not sorry! 😉)
I just don’t understand the constant need to always be reaching for the next thing. Do we ever take the time to just enjoy the current moment? Are we even able to anymore? On one hand, it seems silly to be concerned about this. But on the other, I think this is just another example of our over-stimulated, modern culturewhere we need to be constantly hyped up about something at all times.
Enjoy the Holidays Mindfully
Mindfulness principles can be really useful here. By focusing on and appreciating the individual moment, event, day (or at the very least, holiday) that we are CURRENTLY experiencing, we can help keep the stress and pressure of the Holiday Season at bay. We will feel less stress when we aren’t always preparing for something that won’t occur for several more months.
Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE everything about Christmas, I just REFUSE to participate in holidays until their appointed season. For the Trekkers, this means NO Fall decorations until at least the last half of September and I 100% refrain from engaging in anything related to Christmas until Thanksgiving has come and gone…then it’s Merry Freakin’ Christmas all day, every day! 🙃
To Conclude
I think this rush to the Holidays is detrimental to us, and I’m not alone in those concerns. It increases the pressure of the already-stressful Holiday Season for many people. There are so many things that always occur at once: parties, religious and school activities, and family gatherings. All of these can cause us angst.
This time of year can also be very expensive for many people, with all the gifts, and the–sometimes lengthy–travel involved to see family and friends. On the other hand, not everyone has a loving family, so this time of year can be very lonely for them.
I think it’s pretty obvious that we would all benefit from putting a little less focus on the commercialized Holidays, and a little more on making our world a better place.
Do you find that the coming Season is over-hyped? Tell me about it in the comments!
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I find myself feeling anxious over dealing with day-to-day items and stressors. I know this isn’t healthy for me mentally or physically. I want to be more Present and live in the current moment. So, I’ve set the goal for myself to use mindfulness practices to help lessen my anxiety levels.
I Feel Anxious Every Day
I think the anxiety stems partially from the less-than-regular, work-from-home lifestyle that I mentionedin a previous post. My days offer incredible flexibility, but the lack of routine can make life feel chaotic. I think the stress is also due, in part, to the general anxiety I deal with on a daily basis. I just have a tendency to worry about things in the future.
I think many people struggle with this. We worry about situations from daily life; we worry about interactions or disagreements that occur in our family, friend or work groups; we worry about the health of people we care about. Basically, we just worry a lot! Often times there’s nothing particularly awful occurring, these are just the situations we encounter over the course of life for any given day, week or month. These are normal things to concern ourselves with, but what can we do to ease the strain caused by that constant level of stress?
How I Lessen Anxiety with Mindfulness
I’m striving to implement a “Just Groovin'” mindset†. Read on for tips on how to use this to reduce your levels of anxiety and to live in the moment…
†You may remember this from a previouspost, where I discussed us visiting a great BBQ spot in Marble, Colorado. It was called Slow Groovin’ BBQ, but their message was basically to just take time to enjoy the simple things in life. The Trekkers have made this into a personal, family motto of sorts, though we edited the name to “Just Groovin’!”
5 Tips to “Just Groove”: Using Mindfulness to Live in the Moment and Reduce Stress:
1) Stop Catastrophizing!
This is a therapeutic term that basically means, don’t imagine what horrible things can go wrong in a situation when it hasn’t even happened yet, or you don’t even have all the details regarding it yet.
This is something I struggle with regularly. I am striving to not worry about *insert-situation-here* until it actually happens. Usually, things play out better than I imagined they would anyway.
Often, I build up all this angst around an impending event and then it ends up proceeding far more smoothly (and often more quickly) than I had anticipated. Then I’m left with this surplus of negative energy that had been consuming me that, as it turns out, was completely unnecessary. Now I have no way to release that pent-up strain, so it is just added to my ongoing stress load.
Instead, I want to “just groove” through life, to just deal with things when and if they happen.
2) Don’t Stress Yourself Out Over Everyday Tasks:
I have this habit of rushing to get everything that’s on my To-Do list for that day, or week (or month) done as efficiently as possible. While it’s good to not procrastinate when necessary tasks need to be completed, it’s also good to implement productive, time-management practices.
We shouldn’t let ourselves get stressed out about these things. That causes unnecessary mental and physical tension. Again, I am usually able to complete all the to-do items that day (or at the very least that week or month) and it often takes less time than I thought it would. So then I am stressed out, and for what? Time and again, the list has been completed (usually more easily and more quickly than I anticipated), and all I’m left with is a further build-up of negative energy that I now struggle to relieve.
Are you seeing a pattern here? 😋 This compounding of stress just further contributes to the unnecessary tension we feel in our daily lives. 🤯 Ugh! This is why anxiety is so mentally exhausting!
3) Stop Stressing About the Future:
We need to remove the word “might” from our vocabulary. People with anxiety are always worried about what “might” happen in the future. “My boss MIGHT yell at me when he calls me into the office; those routine tests at the doctor MIGHT show something bad…” Let’s stop with the “might”!
There’s only so much we can control in life. Matthew 6:34 says, “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Not everyone is big on the Bible, but I think this is some advice that can benefit all people, whether they are religious or not. We need to stop worrying about what “might” come tomorrow, next week, next month or next year. Because these things are only MIGHTS, they aren’t actually occurring yet, and we can’t deal with them until they happen. So, let’s be mindful, live in the present, and expend our precious, mental energy on what is actually occurring RIGHT NOW!
4) Don’t Miss Out on Today’s Joys by Worrying About Tomorrow:
Not all stress comes from negative events. We have a tendency to want to rush through life so that we can get to the good stuff, though that may mean we don’t fully experience or appreciate the simpler, everyday nuggets we encounter along the way.
A famous philosopher once described this problem in his young apprentice, “all his life he has looked away to the future…to the horizon…never his mind on where he was…what he was doing…” (If you’re imagining a small, elderly, goblin-looking creature, talking about Luke Skywalker…you’d be correct. Hey, Yoda was sort of like a philosopher! I’m a Star Wars nerd and I’m not sorry. 😉)
It’s good to enjoy the fun and exciting parts of life. But the humble joys of our daily existence are important too. Things like watching your children play on the playground, having a talk on the swing with an aging parent or pulling off the side of the road just to watch a particularly, stunning sunset. In the end, these nuggets are what we experience most often and they are what we’ll remember in the long run. These are the little things that make life worth living.
5) Just Groove!
My ongoing life goal that I’m continuously striving toward is to learn to just “go with the flow”. I will strive to not allow myself to be anxious about things unless I KNOW that there is something to be anxious about.
You may be thinking, “ever thought of trying some meds?” Anti-anxiety medication is always an option, of course (full disclosure, I do use it, occasionally, on days that feel particularly stressful). But I don’t want to have to rely on it for the rest of my–hopefully lengthy–lifetime. I don’t want to need it just to get me through the normal pressures of daily existence. It seems to me, being that most of us live in a time and place where the quality of life is about the best it’s ever been, throughout the entire course of human history, that I don’t have any excuse to build up so much stress over just getting through the day.
This is where the concept of “Just Groovin'” comes in. Basically, it means, take life as it comes. I am striving to embrace mindful minimalism, and only concern myself with problems as they present themselves (rather than wasting mental energy to worry about them ahead of time).
Want to join me on this quest? Tell me in the comments about your tips for using mindfulness to lessen daily stress, and to live in the present moment!
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In this post, I discuss my love for my second-favorite season, Fall!
It’s Fall ya’ll! The official, astronomical start of Fall is this week! (I’m always happy to escape the heat of summer! 🥵)
I live with a meteorologist, so I actually tend to go with the meteorological start of Fall which is September 1. The meteorological seasons always made more sense to me anyway.
The astronomical calendar is based on the position of the sun. Spring and Fall start on their various equinoxes, while Summer and Winter start the days with the longest (and least) amounts of daylight.
In contrast, the meteorological calendar just divides the seasons up into three-month sections (Winter starts December 1, Summer starts June 1, etc.)–Who thinks of winter starting in the middle of December, or summer in the middle of June anyway? 😋 It always feels like those seasons are half over by the time they “officially” start.
Why Fall is Wonderful
Fall is my second-most-favorite season of the year (it’s only slightly short of Spring as my most favorite season)! 😉 I absolutely LOVE it! There are only two bad things about this time of the year:
The South Dakota winds tend to start blowing again 😗
The days are starting to get shorter in earnest now, which I never enjoy. (The good news is, Fall is usually fairly busy for the Trekkers, and with Halloween will come the start of the Holiday Season so, before we know it, it’ll be January and the days will be lengthening again! 😎)
I am SO ready for the heat and bugs to be gone! I always look forward to summer, until it gets hot and stays hot and then I say…NOPE! 😋 I just don’t “do” hot ya’ll, sorry. And while I enjoy summertime activities (and all the daylight), I just don’t find that I enjoy summer weather that much. My body just can’t handle the heat (my doctor says I have “heat sensitivity”. 😓) This is part of the reason why the (almost) 2000-mile move from North Carolina to South Dakota was such an improvement for me (it doesn’t hurt that the Black Hills is known for having low humidity and some of the best weather for about 600 miles in any direction!) 😃
Click here for a list of some of the Trekkers’ favorite, fall hikes!
I can’t help it, I just LOVE fall weather; the crisp, cool evenings, the damp, foggy mornings. I LOVE that it’s starting to feel good to snuggle in a sweatshirt again.
I love the smell of drying leaves and the way they *crunch!* underfoot, not to mention all their beautiful colors! The ever-green pines here in the Hills contrast so nicely with the vibrant yellows of the aspen trees, all set against the backdrop of our–frequently–blue sky.
I love the way these signs herald change. The cool air just feels like such a relief after the hot summer. It’s like we’re all coming out of a sluggish mode and we’re gearing up for a season full of activities again. I also LOVE the moodiness of the cloudy, grey days (as long as they don’t occur too close together, or I have to pull out the Vitamin D3† early!)
What is your favorite season? What are your favorite parts of Fall? Let me know in the comments!
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