Is quarantine life starting to feel like a drag? It's been a nonstop nightmare for me. Ever since they put us on lock down, I realized all those things I wanted to do I wouldn't be able to any longer. Take that art class? Not now. I can’t because they cancelled all the programs. Learn how to crochet? Well, I can’t go to the craft store because now it’s not open! Finally get that drink with Bethany and give her that six-month belated birthday present? Nope!
It was all just so hopeless, until I realized there was one thing that hadn’t been closed...the parks! Yes, nature had not been closed, and I finally made a decision that I was going to make hiking my new hobby.
I researched the parks right outside my city and to my surprise there were, like, four. I knew then and there what I had to do: I ordered some workout leggings, hiking boots, a new sports bra, and a bunch of those protein bars online.
Five weeks later, my items came. I had completely forgotten about my desire to hike so they sat in the delivery box.
One day two weeks later, after waking up and watching two hours of baking shows, I had an epiphany: today was the day!
I took a shower, dried and curled my hair and put it up in one of those cute high ponytails, and put on my new hiking clothes. By then, it was lunchtime and I had to stop and eat some leftover pizza from the night before.
After that, I was ready! I popped into the mini-mart and grabbed three of those long bottles of water...who knew how long I would be out there? Now knowing I would be fully hydrated on my journey, I hit the road.
The 45-minute drive to the park I chose turned into about 70 minutes after a wrong turn or three, but I finally made it! I checked myself out in the visor mirror to make sure my ponytail was still rockin'...I’d have to take a selfie on the hike to mark this momentous occasion!
I looked up the trail on my phone. Turns out I had parked, like, three miles from it. It was already starting to get late and I thought maybe I’d just find another one near me, but it turned out all the trails nearby were difficult.
Then I looked around and saw it. The entire parking lot was lined with trees, even the road that led to it and I could just walk around there for awhile - problem solved!
Walking the perimeter of the parking lot, I thought about how life just inspires us occasionally to take these spontaneous trips that result in molding the way you think about your journey in this world. I could be sitting on the couch at home finishing the rest of that pizza and watching hours of television, but no. I decided to take a step closer to finding my true self while making another circle around the paved parking lot.