Wednesday, August 26, 2015

35 000+ steps...

Every day is a new adventure, filled with thoughts, hopes, dreams, and steps... every moment is a passing memory, gone the instant it appears. This week has been filled with steps in a new direction. Travel, whale watching, mountain climbing, stair conquering... bear with me... I'll get to the point soon.

My biggest adventures tend to exist within my imagination. This is natural for a writer. We dream, we create, and we write it all down so that others can experience the amazing journey of our complicated minds. It's impulsive - not something we always do by choice - and it's exciting in its own, quiet way. Even adventures from the real world get magnified, skewed, and turned into juicy tidbits to be savoured later. Not only is it impulsive, it's compulsive. 

Much of my life is spent staring at a computer screen, so the world outside begins to fade and falls into the background. Sometimes, I forget to go outside, but when I do remember, big things happen. This past weekend, I took more than 35 000 steps. That's about 25 kilometres, and not all of those steps were simply going forward, some were going up, some were climbing down, and a few were a mad dash to safety. Each step holds a memory, a story, and an exaggerated tale to tell. 

There's also a moral, here - I need to go outside more. Aside from the health benefits of walking - I do hit the gym three to four times a week, so I don't have a completely sedentary lifestyle - there's something to the rhythmic sound of shoes on pavement, the songs of birds (from a distance, of course), the laughter of small children, and seeing new faces, even in the most cursory way. 

There's more to travel than taking in the sights and enjoying excursions. Being in the moment, cherishing each step, and soaking in the culture - whatever it might be - is invigorating for the body, mind, and soul. 

Granville Market - so many delicious treats to choose from. 

Bald Eagle standing proud. 

Whale watching... they're fast, a little unpredictable, but magnificent to watch. 

Part of the trail to Hollyburn... there were bears along here - minding their own business & eating berries - but we didn't take any chances and backtracked back up the mountain as we weren't prepared to deal with them. 

The Summit at Hollyburn. It was breathtaking. 

Tall tree at Wreck Beach - the trees in Vancouver are simply amazing. 

Sunset on Wreck Beach. Quiet, calm, and filled with secrets. 







8 comments:

  1. "Stair conquering ... bear with me" LOL! Having seen your pictures on facebook, your pun there made me smile. :-)

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    1. I wondered if anyone would catch that reference. :)

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  2. "an exaggerated tale to tell" - love this!
    Writers get more content by experiencing life. Thanks for the reminder! When you get back we have to go for coffee or cocktails! somewhere exotic!

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    1. Yes! Hmm... what's exotic in Central Ontario. ;)

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  3. It's good to get out and about. Perhaps some Liminals are there in the B.C. forests waiting to be discovered.

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    1. It's possible... but I haven't encountered any yet. I'll keep my eyes open - they like to lurk in the light.

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  4. So glad you are enjoying revealing the bear facts, and very glad you can enjoy nature for all she's worth, because it's important. Say hey to the Mad Scientist.

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    1. The Mad Scientist says "hey" back. And yes, enjoying nature - every step through it - is very important.

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