Happy New Year

Hi all:

As the season dictates, I’ve been reflecting on what 2024 will hold. I’m not one to make resolutions, but a new year (September for school kids, Rosh Hashanah for Jews, and December 31^st for most everyone who uses the Gregorian calendar) is an obvious time to think about personal growth, desires, and as many of us have heard in yoga classes, letting go of what no longer serves us.
 
What no longer serves me? There are many options, but what can I feasibly lay down? What’s in that heavy suitcase I’ve been carrying for years? Would my body and mind feel too light once it’s discarded? Is it worth experiencing what the airiness feels like? One thing I’m aware of (and would enjoy saying buh-bye too) is that I tote around this idea that I’m supposed to be perfect and do everything right. This construct doesn’t serve me most days, plus it’s exhausting, but it’s hard to shed. These patterns are deeply woven into my fiber; first noticing and then unwinding is a slow, hard task. Am I willing to commit to this type of growth? That’s a really good question. Check in with me in July.
 
In terms of growth, one area I can shift is focusing on what I can control in my life and recognizing what is out of my purview. One afternoon, I used my friend Lindsey’s bathroom and saw this on the bathroom door. I took a photo of it and I’ve taped it to MY bathroom mirror. Trying to wrangle all of the stuff that’s out of my control is frustrating and fruitless. What a relief to let go of the things that are not within my power. I’m not sure this is a shedding, more an acknowledgement of a truth.

 
Annie Dillard wrote, “How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.” I enjoy Annie Dillard’s work and her reflections on the natural world, but I worry that she might judge how I spend my days. Some days I sit on the couch and other days I climb mountains. I’d love to live every day in pursuit of something bigger, but there are days that I revel in the small, teeny tiny pleasures of a very ordinary and quiet day (recently I spent a couple of hours washing all of my winter hats, which was about 20 years overdue and a totally delightful task). Maybe that is how I live my life. There are big days and not so big days. Letting go of the idea that every day has to be extraordinary is freeing. Okay, I found something else to shed.
 
Now your turn. What will you release for 2024? What pleasures will you add next year? What will ground you? What will push you out of your comfort zone, help you expand, and feel the best you’ve ever felt? Let me know.
 
On another note, I’ve decided to pause my Sunday emails. I’ve loved writing down my thoughts and sharing experiences with you all, but I’m going to pull in my energy and put some thought into what Ladies Adventure Club 2.0 may look like, if it reconstitutes at all (big if). What’s on the other side of that mountain? I don’t know yet, but time to start hiking it.
 
For resources, I check out these links to gather info on upcoming community adventures.
 
Maine Audubon
Pineland Farms
Maine Sports Commission
Baxter Outdoors
Two Maine Mermaids
Maine Inland Fisheries & Wildlife
Tin Mountain
AMC
Granite Backcountry Alliance
Maine Appalachian Trail Land Trust
Lots of land trusts sites, too
A good email to subscribe to is Maine Outsider
 
 

Happy adventuring,

And from a woman I admire…