Yesterday I went up to the Shenandoah National Park with a group of hikers from Central Virginia Trailblazers and hiked around Big Meadows for three or four hours. Here is a video of some of the scenes from our adventure. It was quite strenuous from my viewpoint although most of the others seemed to take it in stride. I definitely will bring walking poles next time and probably wear long pants as well as there was lots of poison ivy along the paths!
Afterwards we had a nice meal at the lodge. It was a lot of fun and I’m ready to go again real soon!
Dear DAVID!!! THIS IS FABULOUS!!!!!! I love it SO much. It was SO cool to hear you voice. Wow! And to see what YOU are seeing, and where you are hiking. What a beautiful place to hike. It is soooooooooo GREEN! And so much water, and the views are breathtaking. What a time you must have had. Maybe challenging, but I bet SOOOO rewarding. GOOD FOR YOU!!
The other thing I just keep feeling over and over is HOW PROUD of you I am. So DANG proud of you, I am beaming ear to ear through the whole video. You are truly taking back your life, taking back your spirit. You inspire me FAR MORE than I am sure you realize (and undoubtedly many other people). To see the amazing transformation in you, inspires me to do more of the same. I am so glad you are in the world. So so glad.
I hope to go later today to our local Nature Conservancy and hike around the beaver ponds. I love to sit there and photograph dragon flies. Slowly I have energy to return to nature. It HEALS so much. I am also slowly moving into nature photography as a career. I was given a Canon 60D as a gift. And have discovered that I LOVE macro photography.
The other day, I went to the ponds and was going to hike, but was very tired, so I just sat by the ponds and watched 100s (literally) of dragon and damsel flies flitting over the water. I must have sat an hour and slowly they became used to me and started to land on me, and I could photograph them on my hands and legs and feet. Until finally they were landing all over me, my head, arms, shoulders. It was AMAZING. AND I could move about and photography them and they didn’t become frightened. They would come right up to within three inches of my face and just hover there, studying me. It was a truly magical moment. I came home feeling healed. I think I felt the deepest peace in that hour that I have felt in years. I could even lift them (in the palm of my hand) right up to my face and look at them, and they still sat in my palm. Through my macro lens, I could see them tipping their little heads toward me, looking through those HUGE eyes.
I REALLY hope you do more videos, and get some of the fellow hikers to film YOU!!, yes?!! It was just SO heartwarming to see this film. It did my spirit good this morning. In fact, I actually needed it. Thank you. You give more than you know, and it has more effect than you are probably aware of. Keep inspiring me and others. It is SO powerful. The world needs it. Huge hugs, and so many good wishes to you and that beautiful family of yours. Robin
Robin, so glad you are feeling stronger and getting out to be with nature. I’m going to be looking for those macro shots! I’m not surprised all the dragon flies were drawn to you! I do plan to make more videos and to hike and be closer to nature. It’s part of my plan to bring different parts of my life together; the walking, photography, writing and blogging. When I do these things I often think of you. You have always inspired me to do them. I realized so often that I needed to do a better job and finally figured out how to do it. It’s just one foot in front of the other and don’t stop! Keep going. I had a blood test earlier this week and everything- sugar, cholesterol, triglycerides and the rest came back in the normal range. And I feel you are an important reason I reached this point.
Another thing I noticed while hiking last weekend was that it’s easier getting to know people when you are in the woods. Isn’t that strange? I’m not sitting in front of the computer all the time like I used to do. I’m so much happier and hope to share this with others who perhaps are struggling with the same issues.
But, once again, I’m so happy you are getting out and feeling better. This really makes everything so much better. Love and hugs! David
Aaaww, David! This is so beautiful what you share. It is WONDERFUL that we can inspire each other. So so GOOD. There are so many things you said here that resonate with me. The thing about it being easier to know people while in the woods. I love that! I think Nature is SO authentic, so peaceful, so REAL that we all let down more. We all feel more alive, more ourselves, more peaceful.
The other thing you share here: “I’m not sitting in front of the computer all the time like I used to do. I’m so much happier…” THIS brought tears to my eyes. I NEEDED to hear this. I too have not been spending so much time in front of the computer. I just can’t anymore, probably never again. It was making me sick, literally.
At heart, I am a wild free being. And I HAVE to be in Nature. I HAVE to be walking, hiking, photographing, touching, smelling, hearing, seeing REAL things, tasting, and SENSING. I HAVE to have my bare feet on the Earth and in the water. I HAVE to stand in awe of sunsets and sunrises. I HAVE to hear the birds. (Did you know that 10 minutes of listening to bird songs alters our brain waves and relaxes the body. I was reading about it. That alteration happens because when early humans heard the birds singing they KNEW they were safe, because birds stop singing when there are predators in the area…..except for the “warning birds” like jays or crows. So we STILL today –in our physiology–equate bird songs with peace and safety.)
So my point being that I HAVE to do these things to feel GOOD inside, GOOD about myself, GOOD about life. Hopeful, alive, and inspired. So I thank YOU from my heart for the healthy choices that YOU are making. YOU, David, are LITERALLY changing lives BECAUSE of your choices. You (or I) cannot uplift ourselves without changing the entire fabric of the Universe. I love you for all that you are doing to heal, be strong, be ALIVE, for all you are doing to CHOOSE Life. BE LIFE. Thank you thank you thank you. Robin
PS: I just noticed that I could subscribe to your blog, and did so yesterday. THAT is so coooool!!!
Robin, it means so much to me that you subscribed to my blog. You have no idea.
I just have a feeling that the woods are going to be a large part of my life in the future. I’m not sure why. It’s just a feeling and what you are saying about the birds singing and actually communicating important information to us makes perfect sense and adds to this feeling. Something inside of me needs to relax. I’ve been problem solving all my life and am just realizing there’s a different way to live most of the time. When you are in the woods and have gotten all your chores done it’s time to relax that part of the brain. It’s time to simply be alive. I can remember (almost) what it was like to be a child before the demands of schooling took their toll.
What do you do in the woods when you have six hours until dinner? You can sit, listen, relax and take a walk. You can explore. You can be part of something that has been there way before our civilization ever happened! This is the path I want to take.
I like this little “lovefest” between the two of you – Dave and Robin. I don’t know your health background, Dave, but obviously you had some problems and have made some important adjustments to bring you back to a healthy state. I get tired just hearing about all your adventures (although I think you’re a bit younger than I am)…and I did play golf today although it was very hot and humid and it wore me out! Keep on keeping on, my friend!
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Hey Lowell. Yes Robin and I have been writing back and forth for several years now and a lot has happened during that time to both of us! Robin has written a book about her experiences years ago in the wilds of Australia called Naked In Eden: My Adventure and Awakening In The Australian Rainforest. It’s a fascinating book and she is a wonderful person and friend.