Nature Trail - Myakka River State Park
Sarasota, FL - December 27, 2010
Canopy Walkway - what's a Canopy Walkway and why is it so special? Looks like a normal Florida Nature Trail (translation: flat and snaky) to me! Well, o.k. - let's check it out! Famous last words......................
still smiling..........................................
Oh, so that's a Canopy Walkway - Cool!
But hold it just a minute - what's that at the other end of the Canopy Walkway? You gotta be kidding! You're telling me I'm getting ready to climb a 74' wooden tower with a sign at the start that says it WILL shake and feel unsteady. And you expect me to believe that's NORMAL?? No way, but hold on just a minute. Is that my 80 year old mother-in-law already heading up those steps? Well, alrighty then - here I go!
Climbing, climbing, climbing
Looking back down towards the ground - OMG, I think I'm gonna die and YES, the platform is shaking!
Whew, I made it back down to terra firma! Thank Goodness!
I have no pictures taken from the top of the tower because it was very shaky and not one of us would let go of the side long enough to take a picture. Would I do it again? Maybe, maybe not. Heights do not normally bother me, but the small (and very crowded) shaking platform did and of course, there were a couple of hot shot kids there who thought jumping up and down was quite funny! We had a wonderful day at the beautiful Myakka River State Park.
While climbing the tower, I was reminded that I am facing quite the uphill climb in 2011 in order to reach the goals I have set for myself. To get me started, my word for January is JOYFUL. And that is exactly the way I am feeling. I have had four days of good, mostly clean eating and am working so hard to redirect my thought patterns away from food. This is extremely difficult and if this sounds as if I've conquered anything, rest assured that is NOT the case. The truth is, I can't really write much about a specific eating plan because right now, I don't have one. I just know that my two healthy eating goals for this year are to 1) reach my happy weight of 138 and 2) have a life that is not controlled by food. Your responses to my Help Me Explain were exactly what I needed. In addition to helping me communicate better with Mr. B., they also clarified some things in my own mind. And for now, I'm content with that!
Mr. B will return to school tomorrow and within a few days, our schedules will return to "normal." I am looking forward to that because there is so much I want to accomplish, but when he is out of school, I want to spend the time with him. We had a wonderful time in Florida, but having MIL with us added a whole new dimension and didn't allow us the reconnecting time that we so treasure during his breaks from school.
So here we are in Joyful January and if I can climb that shaky, wooden, 75 foot tower in Myakka River State Park, I am certain I can face any uphill battles this month with firm resolve on solid ground! I'm excited about 2011. I hope you are!
What uphill climbs are you facing this month? Can you approach them with joy?
Posts
Welcome home, Sharon! You and Mr. B live alone--God will give you time to reconnect despite the schedules. I believe that.
ReplyDeleteDeb
The uphill climb I am facing this month is trying to avoid killing my husband for driving me crazy with his daily indecision about whether or not he will retire in April. No jury of my peers (long-married women of my age) will ever convict me!!
ReplyDeleteYes, Sharon, I am trying to be as joyful as possible about this.
Love that picture of you:) I have a very big uphill climb coming. Turns out I will be having hernia surgery and will go the longest without exercise that I've gone in over a decade. Disheartening to think about having to start over. Sigh. Not to mention trying to lose weight without any calorie burning. Doesn't sound very joyful.
ReplyDeleteYes, it all looks a little rickety..I want to lose thirty pounds. I am just barely five foot, so no room for any extra on my frame. I have started with indoor walking with Leslie Sansone video. A painless way for me to get going. Want to incorporate more bike riding and more hiking. We are working on curtailing what we eat and that is a challenge for us. Dr. Oz has an eleven week challenge that we can do online and it is free. So we do have plenty of options to help us reach our goal...Just a matter of sticking to it!
ReplyDeleteThat's a fantastic photo of you! I don't *do* shaky platforms well. :)
ReplyDeleteJanuary is joyful so far and I'm not seeing any uphill struggles as of yet, which is reason enough for more joy!
Sharon, can I just tell you how adorable you look in that photo? I've never seen a closeup of you before; you look lovely :) Thank you for sharing these photos. My husband has decided that we need to do this!
ReplyDeleteI am so impressed that you were able to make that climb. Are you sure it wasn't your legs that were shaking!?!
ReplyDeleteI am very glad to see a face shot. Did Mr. B. finally get that message too?
Lori
"Happiness IS the way." ;) I love Joyful January. You know, if reaching a goal leaves us feeling bitter, burnt-out and exhausted, what is the point? Why not make the journay joyful, for the journey is all there is. Love your attitude! :)
ReplyDeleteLovely canopy walk and those stairs!!. I do not know if your follow the work of scientist Meg Lowman. She is a canopy biologist who wrote a terrific book called: Life in the treetops. I am not sure if the canopy walk that you went on is one that she helped, with, but I know there are some in FL. I hope to visit those when I attend a conference in April in FL.
ReplyDeleteYikes! That looks scary!
ReplyDeleteThank you for stopping by my blog. Sorry to hear you have RA. My heart goes out to anyone with RA.