It has been nearly a year since my last blog post. Since late November last year, I gestated a little human, got engaged, gave birth, and now have a family of three.
Pregnancy and the postpartum period were a major adjustment for me and my passion for running and long distances. I was able to hike and run up to 10 or 15 miles until mid-way through my second trimester, but nothing could quite satisfy my distance addiction.
Still, I managed to get out there regularly, and relished in the great outdoors throughout my pregnancy. In fact, I found myself enjoying sports that I had forgotten about in my tunnel vision of running and fast packing. Over the length of my pregnancy I hiked, snowshoed, cross country skied, rock climbed, jogged, biked, swam, and took a weekly prenatal yoga class.
Oh, and did I mention backpacking- yes, I did also manage to backpack into my second trimester as well. Mostly taking trips to nearby Lake Berryessa, but also venturing into Henry Coe State Park in the East Bay and the Santa Cruz mountains for some stealth backpacking at a sweet little serene lake.
This all kept me sane and grounded through not only the pregnancy, but also for my final year of graduate school to become a Nurse Practitioner. Looking back on the past 11 months or so since that last post, I am in awe of the beauty I surrounded myself in. This is a good reminder that in times of stress or life change, our environment can have a huge impact on our state of mind. Not only that, our surroundings- especially in nature- can remind us to stay in the present, be grateful for what we have, and experience beauty that transcends our daily cares and worries.
Now that I am a new mom and dedicated partner, I am committed to surrounding the three of us in nature’s arms. Not only for my own mental and physical health, but for my families health and wellness as well. We are just dipping our toes into the world of hiking and camping with baby, but already already I feel the rippling effects of grounding in nature in all our spirits.
Flights of a hummingbird 