After promising each other that we were going to hike less today, Juanjo and I gave in to the peer pressure and hiked even further than yesterday with Kim and Erik. We took a different path than yesterday, one that led us up the mountain and across a different ridge, down down down to the coastal trail below through stands of half-charred pines. The day was glorious–again, rain predicted but with hardly a cloud in the sky all day long. We’d talked about hiking together for a long time, but had never done it, and it felt good to be out with these friends, going deeply into conversations about things that matter, while pounding step after step down the trail towards the sea below.
Now we are home, back in the comforts of city life and our own abode, back to the demands, the day-to-day that already presses in with email and reminders of the week to come. A hot shower has never felt so good–we hiked more than 24 miles in the past two days! Every inch of my legs feels sore, reminding me of the glorious weekend we had every time I stand or climb the stairs. But I’ll relish it through the week, enjoying the thought of being out under the trees, watching the birds, hearing the waves crashing below, and losing myself in the beauty of this life I’ve been given. The solace of wide open coastal space, the company of friends, the meaning of sharing it all with the person I love, all come together to make me grateful for being alive. What are the places and people that make you feel grateful for being alive?
