Week #35

#238

When I pulled into my driveway, I noticed something out of the ordinary sitting on my chair by the front door (usually it is some package that I try to retrieve before Greg gets home).  Much to my surprise, my sweet friend Tammy left my favorite candy along with a lovely note.  It makes my heart fill with joy when others take time out of their day, to make mine!

#239

Please take a moment to read this nonsense from above.  For real, if you didn't read it, please go back and do so and try to make sense of it for me.  As part of a class I am taking, this passage was a required reading for the week.  If you can pronounce the words, much less understand their meaning - kuddos to you!  

PROLETARIAT.................BOURGEOISIE (what the heck)

Fun fact: 

Proletariat means the working class (so that is me).

Bourgeoisie means the middle class (which is also me), typically with reference to its perceived materialistic values or conventional attitudes.  

I probably learned these words in government or some history class in high school and have long since forgotten their meaning.  Can you tell history is not my strong suit (clearly, along with reading)?

#240

OK - I was looking for replacement silicone covers for my headphones since I have lost several of them already.  So, when I was browsing through Amazon I needed to identify which type of Powerbeats I owned.  I tried looking at the writing on the side with just my bifocals and even those trusty glasses couldn't do the trick.  So, I resorted to taking a picture with my phone and enlarging the image to a readable size.   I would have never guessed that at 46 I would need to enlarge a photo just to read the small print.  Thank goodness technology allows me to do this or I would have to walk around with a magnifying glass while wearing my bifocals.  Now that would be embarrassing!

#241

  I have always been a life-long learner and find enjoyment seeking new knowledge.  I do NOT think one should ever stop learning. 

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Someday when I am content that I have learned all I can in my field of choice, I might just then 

  take time to understand politics and the impact they have on our society.  Greg geeks out over the debates on tv and keeps up on the trending political topics. He then asks me if I have heard or read about ..............??????  The chances of me comprehending what he is talking about are approximately .05 percent.  Someday, maybe someday!  

#242

Cross country running took us west this week to Billings, MT.  The kids have never run on this course and pretty much every runner had a PR today.  What made this day even more fantastic is that the Dickinson Midget boys won the meet by two points. 

Since it is Labor Day weekend, we thought we would spend an additional couple of days in Montana, so we drove to Bozeman and ate at our favorite pizza joint.

  

Finished out the evening with a hike up M trail to watch the sunset.  

#243

The day began bright and early with coffee and a chilly start.  Of course, Greg reminded me that I am ill-prepared, as always, for the wilderness.  The afternoon temperatures are expected to reach 80, so why would I think I needed pants and a coat on August 31st.  Lucky for Greg, he is pretty much like John Miur, a pioneer in the outdoors and he was set with long sleeves AND pants.  

I asked for those warm pants and he pretty much laughed and said 'you two are NEVER prepared for our trail hikes.'  I never got those pants; however, thanks to Greg's pre-planning, there was an extra warm coat in the back of the vehicle.  

We hiked and we hiked and we hiked some more.  Aiden kept looking at his phone (which had no service by the way) and telling us we are super close to the top where we will be graced with the beauty of lake and canyon views.

                                   

Well, we kept hiking and hiking and hiking some more.  Both Greg and I were exhausted and were ready to turn around.  Aiden began to say things like, 'it is only a quarter-mile away' or 'I'm sure it is right around the corner!' Thank goodness Aiden was there to push us and encourage us to reach the final destination because the view was definitely worth it.

When I wanted to capture Aiden just chillin' in the lake, as I snapped the photo this reflection of light was so visible.  This photo is NOT edited.  Just a reminder of pure beauty and how the most spectacular places in nature often cannot be seen without using your own two feet to get there.  

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As I sat and watched Greg rest and Aiden stand in the lake, I wondered how many square feet of this area has never been touched by human hands or feet.  Imagine if we were able to know if we had been the first.  I know this trail is very popular in Bozeman, so I would assume the areas we walked have been walked on thousands of times by adventurers before us.  

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Which led me to several other thoughts about the first explorers that found this space amongst millions of acres of mountainous forest.  There were times we questioned if we were actually on the trail when it became rocky or crossed over a stream.  I cannot imagine the guts it took to create this path with the very real possibility one could get lost and not be found for days.  Now, those are the real adventure MVPs.

Which also led me to think about the tree roots that are numerous along the trail.  

Exposed tree roots do not exactly seem ideal for tree sustainability.  These roots become a staircase for walkers, hikers, runners, bikers, and wildlife, yet the tree they support is still alive and thriving.  These exposed roots withstand the bitter cold and heavy snow that Montana winters can bring, yet the tree still survives year after year. With the size of the tree, one can only assume that the tree roots on the rest of the tree are carrying the weight of the entire tree. 

I began to compare this tree and its exposed roots to my life................

 I, too, have exposed feelings (from happiness to sadness and everything in between)

I, too, have exposed weaknesses 

I, too, sometimes feel taken advantage of

I, too, sometimes feel trampled on 

HOWEVER,

 I, too, have exposed strength 

I, too, have exposed resiliency 

I, too, have the ability to remain stable despite the exposure to undesirable conditions.  

I can tell you with certainty that I cannot do this alone.  I must rely on the people around me to remain exposed and still thrive.  I find support from my family, my friends, my co-workers, and the do-gooders of the world.  

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  Just as the tree would not survive with only the exposed roots, it relies on the roots which are deeply embedded and supported by the earth's soil.

If you notice from my two recorded workouts, we walked over 12 miles 6.3 miles up and 6.0 back down.  It is no wonder I had lots of thought-provoking moments along the way.  Nature has a way of bringing out the best in all of us, as the three of us talked about so many different topics during our 5 1/2 hour hike.  What a blessing we are still able to experience nature with our own two feet.

#244

Travel day - sad to leave the super chill city we have come to love. We usually visit Bozeman in the winter when we ski, but Bozeman in the summer is even more lovely.  We wouldn't want to leave without trying another new coffee shop, Rockford Coffee Roasters.  The coffee was, of course, delicious and because we loved the coffee we had the day before, we went back and bought coffee beans before leaving.  Greg just shakes his head and calls us coffee snobs. I like to call us coffee connoisseurs (thank goodness for Google because I had no idea how to spell connoisseur)

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Experience life................and enjoy the moments that bring you great happiness.

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Have an amazing and blessed week ahead!