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List-less

/ Sloan / 2 Comments

Things I need to start doing more of/better/doing in general:

 

We all like lists, right? I mean, that’s why we read magazines instead of books sometimes, it’s what we make when we want to cross something off and feel accomplished. The key to making a list is to make the item easy to do, detailed and accomplishable in a short(ish) period of time.

 

Well, I’m going to make a quick list of things that I’ve been ignoring that I just need to start doing, this is not detailed, I don’t plan on being able to cross things off, I just need to send each item out into the universe in hopes of being able to start each one, most of them won’t have an end point or a final “ah ha! I’m done” moment.

 

-Take more pictures NOT on my camera phone.

–This means finding and carrying my camera around.

-Write more.

–This is so open ended, so big and broad that I’m hoping it will force me to spend an hour a day working on something, anything creative.

-Keep my room clean.

–Haha, we’ll see about this one.

-Be more spontaneous.

–I jumped in a lake with my brother yesterday. That was awesome. I need more of that in my life.

-Read more.

–I love reading but am just SO SLOW. Any good book suggestions?

 

This is the beginning of my list. I feel like it could grow and grow and just be the Never Ending Self Improvement List. My hopes that by putting them out into the universe that some how the universe will hold me accountable.

 

What kind of things are on your Never Ending Self Improvement List?

Please, Don’t, Judge

/ Sloan / Leave a comment

Conversation today waxed and waned all the way up the mountain. We talked about random things, but the conversation some how led to how often I feel like what I’m reading, who I spend time with and my life all coincide nicely with each other. Currently I’ve been hiding the cover of my book when reading in public. I’m not only embarrassed to have jumped on this band wagon of people who love this book, but I’m shedding a tear or two every few pages, (what is wrong with me?!) I don’t even want to tell you what I’ve been burying my nose in… gahh! I’m almost done reading Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. There, I said it. And I’m enjoying it. So there!

Lately I’ve been selfish. I mean, I’m a young single woman, I’m generally looking out for just myself, while at the same time trying to be kind to others, but at the end of the day I need to feel good. I need to be comfortable with myself. I need to love myself before I can love others, before I can share myself—so when I’m in situations that make me not like who I am, not feel good about what is going on, I leave. Simple.

I’ve recently learned to surround myself with some kick ass people who at the end of the day make me feel good and lift me up, and hopefully I’m doing the same for them.  If these uplifting people aren’t available I find something to do by myself. I’m learning to be alone and be okay with it. With travel opportunities afoot I need to be okay with being alone for long stretches of time.

Gilbert does this. She takes off for a year. She eats in Italy, prays in India and learns about love in Bali, alone—the whole book is really about a woman learning to love herself, learning how to treat herself with the respect we all deserve, learning how to just be. In this process she learns to give too, she spends her time being selfish with her meditation and prayer but in the end it creates a balance that makes her better in the rest of her life. I think selfishness gets a bad wrap sometimes. You can be selfish while still being kind, caring, compassionate and loving, by treating yourself well it opens doors to treat others even better.

Running and exercise is my retreat, it’s how I re-energize not only my body but also my soul. As much as I’ve loved sharing the trails with this new friend, I still do love to go out for a few miles just me and my thoughts. I still seem to think I’ll come home from a few miles and have solved world hunger or something…maybe tomorrow’s work out I’ll have it all figured out.

But for now I’m reading, trying to write, trying to figure out how to travel and all in all I’m trying to love myself so that I can love others better. Another conversation we had was all about the journey and not the destination, even if the destination is a goal you set for part of the journey…yeah, we went there—that’ll be another blog post coming soon.

Sharing is Caring

/ Sloan / Leave a comment

It’s an amazing feeling when someone shows you something or some place new. That initial reaction of a new bar, a new movie, a new store you had yet to see, a new path to run on is how we define exploration, right? When I first moved to Oregon I was the one (and still am, often enough) being shown new places to hike, eat, run, drink, bike…etc. This week the tables turned a bit and I was able to invite a Washington DC/NYC/Chicago dweller on not only a new trail but his FIRST trail run ever. How exciting for both him and me.

Our emails leading up to the run had consisted of me telling him about the bear I had just seen on the Bandersnatch trail, the hills I had to climb and the fact we needed to go early because it gets damn hot and mountain bikers take over some of the trails later in the day. I think he was a bit nervous when we started, being a city boy and all I think he expected to see a moose, a cougar and a panda bear at the trail-head.

When we finally got to the trail we were warmed up and began the climb. Chatting, maneuvering over sticks, getting to know each other and our trail feet we fell into a nice cadence. I assumed we’d climb for 30 or 35 minutes and then head back down, but as we got to the half hour mark my new friend wanted to keep pushing. We were enjoying nature, the views and (hopefully) each other’s company. We climbed and climbed until we reached a map and I could show him just how far we had come. Looking at a map while on a run was new for me too, it’s pretty awesome to see the trails, the elevation, the creeks and distances we had traveled.

As we headed down on the road we relished in what a great run it had been and talked about doing it again soon. Trails are addictive, and he was hooked I think. Fast forward to Thursday at 7:30am and we’re at it again. Our conversation went something like this:

Me: Where should we go today? Up?

Him: Yes! Up. Anywhere, everywhere! Adventure time.

Me: An adventure? I’m down.

Him: I wanna do it all. Let’s go!

We didn’t quite explore everywhere this morning but we did cover some ground, we climbed for nearly an hour and had some spectacular views that never cease to remind me of why I moved here. As the morning sun peaked through the trees I think he was having the same though.

It was so cool being able to give it back, or pay it forward to someone that’s newer than me to the area. Daily I amazed at how much of this area I have yet to explore, learn and share. Image