lessons learned: take another look around
This post is part of the discussion series titled The Path to Healthy Living Through the Great Outdoors. The point of these topics is not for just me to just share them and move on, but rather to foster some discussion on these ideas and how they apply in "your" life. We're not sitting around the same table, but we can still have a discussion. Just leave your own thoughts in the comments below, or send them to me privately if you prefer. You'll find a complete list of all the topics at the end of this post.
When things don’t seem to be working, try to look at things from a different perspective.
We had a hike, we were doing a loop trail, but there’s a spur off to this overlook that was supposed to be spectacular view… we head up this trail, we know it’s a bit over a mile… but pretty soon we’re almost 2 miles in and hadn’t seen what we were looking for.
So we back-track… and less than a mile later.. There it is. The sign really wasn’t visible from the direction we first came in, not without turning around. And that was actually the second time it happened to a few of us. The group had sort of split up, and I was with the second part of the group. We followed what we thought was the trail up to a creek, but it stopped short. We couldn’t see a crossing, nothing following on the side of the creek we were on. Nothing.
I went back the direction we’d come a bit to look for any sign … and there it was. The trail had actually had a switchback, and turned off the opposite direction we’d gone. What we were following must have been just worn down area from people stepping off the trail to admire the creek or something.
Long story a bit shorter, we followed the trail we had been looking for and the bit of extra wandering was worth it. This photo doesn’t do justice to the view of Lake Cushman that we enjoyed.
There are all sorts of instances on a healthy living path where we’re heading in a certain direction and don’t end up where we were hoping to go. so we need to be willing to stop, take another look around, maybe even back up a bit, and try something different.
Maybe it is in relation to your exercise program. You’re not getting the results you want from a certain exercise or routine, so you need to try something different. Bariatric surgery is proven to be one of the best treatment options for obesity, but as good at it is, it has it’s limits. More and more providers are recognizing this and realize that even after surgery, other options such as medications may be needed.
This is the type of looking at things in a new way that is needed in many areas. Doing so can open up options you might not otherwise have noticed, help you discover things that make positive impacts on your journey.
One last hiking example. On the same trail as above, there’s a bridge that crosses a creek and it’s dubbed the “troll bridge”. The part of our group that was taking a faster pace, they zipped across this bridge and never got to see the troll. So by taking the time to take a look around you can help keep you from missing some of those things that can enhance your journey.
This following is the complete list of topics that make up The Path to Healthy Living Through the Great Outdoors discussion topics. While these topics are listed as a sort of progression, they can be viewed/discussed in any order. Titles will get an active link as they are posted.
- an idea born in nature (introduction)
- have a plan
- be prepared
- choose your own path
- it's not a straight line
- stay on the trail
- it's ok to stray at times
- keep trying
- take another look around
- push your limits
- never forget
- put it all behind you
- it's not the destination
- share your journey
- just get out there
