Due to my mom's open heart surgery and a trip back east that was extended due to Hurricane Sandy, I found myself unable to skate for 2 full weeks! By the time I returned to the bay area last week and my mom was released from rehab and home with my sister and stepdad to help out, I was climbing the walls with a desire to get back on the trails with my rollerblades.
And skate I have! I have skated every day over the last week, racking up over 30 miles altogether. It felt so great! At the same time, I've resumed my yoga practice, another critical piece of my well being. My yoga instructor, Howard VanEs, is just a fantastic teacher and I find myself enjoying yoga more and more. Click here to check out his series of books.
As I've been busy preparing for increased holiday sales of my jewelry and the extra demands of the holidays, I've needed the intense exercise even more than usual to keep my brain clear and happy and my energy level high. The weird thing is that until this year, I had never been that consistent with my exercise routine except for short periods of time. Now I'm at the point where I can no longer envision my life without yoga and without skating.
Fall skating is beautiful and here's why I love living in Northern California:
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Acorns, Sticks and Leaves
Some sections of the trail are just covered with the litter from the trees. My rear wheels scoop up the leaves and the brake on my right skate traps them. I'm toying with the idea of removing my brake, but I still have the occasional time when I am very happy for that brake...especially on the downhills!
Lesson for handling the extra detritus on the trail...keep light on my feet, pay attention, relax, be prepared to make a quick correction when one of my wheels suddenly completely stops turning. All part of the excitement!
Darkness Descends
The end of daylight savings time found me on the trail one evening this week as the daylight was fading quickly. I skated as fast as I could racing the sun, trying to finish up before darkness really set in. Alas, the sun was much faster than I was and I found myself returning to my car in almost complete darkness for the last 5 minutes. The plus side: since I couldn't see the leaves, sticks, and acorns, they didn't really even bother me.
Maybe I need to get one of those miner's headlights. I think my cousin Suzi has one I can borrow. Can you help me out, Suzi?
Rain!
Okay, here's the one obstacle I can't figure a way around. It started raining today before I got a chance to skate. Bummer! It was to be my 150th skate of 2012...an arbitrary milestone but still one I was looking forward to. Not only do I need to wait till it stops raining, but I'll also need to wait till those leaves are dry enough to stop being a slimy, slippery accident waiting to happen.
Here's a quote I love that helps me face obstacles such as acorns, sticks, leaves, errant shoelaces, darkness and rain:
The universe provides obstacles to see how much you really want something.
I think it's a great way of looking at all the obstacles that might otherwise derail us from what we really want to accomplish.
What goals do you have and how badly do you really want them? Do you want them enough to push past the figurative acorns that might get in your way?
Here's my 88-year-old mom, Jane, showing me how to overcome an obstacle such as a torn aortic valve. She's walking every day with my 90-year-old stepdad around a track near their house, building her stamina back up after her valve replacement 3 weeks ago. You go, Mom!
Here's my 88-year-old mom, Jane, showing me how to overcome an obstacle such as a torn aortic valve. She's walking every day with my 90-year-old stepdad around a track near their house, building her stamina back up after her valve replacement 3 weeks ago. You go, Mom!
Keep skating!
Nancie ♥
My last skate:
11/7/12
Skate #149
Iron Horse Trail 5.08 mi
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