Running Into Joy

Happy Monday, internet people! You may recall that last year I traveled with my boyfriend to hike the highest point in New York state, Mt. Marcy. Or, as my  Medium post about the experience recalls, most of Mt. Marcy. That hike took a lot out of me, and not only because it was the longest distance and highest elevation I had faced to date. I met those miles at a point in my life where I'd really lost faith in my body and what it could do. While I hadn't quite yet developed my chronic pain disorder, a few things in my body had felt decidedly not right since mid-February of 2019. I had been experiencing such severe back pain and sporadic right-shoulder numbness that I'd been to the doctor numerous times, each visit bringing a new set of exercises and diagnoses. So, when I started up Mt. Marcy, it was in a body that still felt unbalanced, unsure of this body that felt so strange and so different from the runner's body I had cultivated the year before. I bring th...

As we pull into the (exceptionally crowded) parking lot for Old Man's Cave, Andy groans. It's a beautiful, sunny Saturday in Hocking Hills, which means there are people everywhere. I assure him it won't be this way tomorrow when we're able to get there earlier in the day, or on the longer trails. We head towards the visitor center to fill our water bottles. On the way, we pass at least three people wearing some version of Ohio love on their shirts. I smile. I am home. Hocking Hills is the type of place that, when you say you're going there, you receive a blank stare in return. I've rarely met people who aren't from Ohio who know about this area, yet for me, it was a staple family getaway. I have memories of sitting in a cabin playing board games and reading, amazed by the lack of a TV, which was normally the constant hum in the background of my childhood. Plus, when we checked in to our cabin, there'd always be fresh baked chocolate chip cookies wait...

I write to you after a glorious vacation. Although I'm a little overwhelmed with just how much time I've spent out of town this summer, I'm grateful for the opportunity to spend so much time seeing new places and being outside. Andy and I's big vacation plans for the summer couldn't have fallen during a better time. Exactly one week after my cat died, on the first sunny day in the entire week, we hopped in his car and drove up to Niagara Falls. This part of the trip lasted only one evening--about as much time as either of us could stand in the city when there were mountains to be climbed. As a water-loving Pisces (and fan of The Office ), I loved watching the water fall over the cliff's edge in smooth sheets as much as I loved seeing advertisements for the Maid of the Mist. As an introvert, I really did not like the crowds, which is why I talked Andy into going for an early morning run along the falls with me before we left for the next leg of our trip. ...