Getting Better - Spontaneity and Clothes that Fit - Reminders

Phil is the kind of guy that needs at least two big hikes per day, if he isn't doing hard heavy work all day long, and most days lately he's been taking off skiing right after breakfast while I stay home and get some work done, and then we've hiked the beach together in the afternoons.

Well, this morning he announced that his elbows needed a rest and that he was going to hike north up the beach from Diamond Creek (a beautiful trail from road level down to the ocean), and take his daughter's dogs for a run. And I decided to go too!

I was so pleased to be able to make this decision: even though I'm a morning person, my body doesn't always feel at all ready to 'get going' right after breakfast. With piles of work to do too, I'd generally feel pretty nervous about just taking off.

It's wonderful to feel my spontaneity returning! There was a clear awareness that 'this isn't a contract: I'm not signing up to go hiking in 15 degree weather every morning: I can catch up on work later; I just feel like going!'

I pretty much ran down the trail to the beach, which was icy and treacherous in places, but mostly had enough fresh snow for fairly good traction...

...and we got to see another glorious sunrise! (around 10.30am)

Sunrises and sunsets are so deliciously long and slow at this time of year. It really is quite light long before the sun appears over the shoulder of the mountains.

I love seeing what age and exposure can do to trees on the beach too--and to admire how large they get, given good luck, in these harsh conditions (I mentioned earlier, apropos of our snowshoe hare plague, that trees take a long time to grow here). As gorgeous as any artwork to me.

Another piece of feelgood: for many years, I have tended to wear big, baggy, loose clothes. But despite the 'pants catastrophe' back in London, when we were in Anchorage on our way home, we hit the thrift stores and I got a couple pairs of lined wool pants with zippers and buttons and all, fitted to my body, not way too big: with long underwear, they're great for this cold weather. And when Phil wanted to get me a new coat as an early Christmas gift, I had him get it in my size, as opposed to a size too big! Yes, I can't fit a million layers under it, but it is so warm in itself and I'm finding that I love feeling 'streamlined' like this. OK, bundled up but streamlined!

It is feeling so good to have some muscle on me, to be challenging myself to wear clothes that fit rather than clothes that hide, to have energy to go on long hikes in the very cold, to have the energy to be able to jump with a sudden change of plan rather than being thrown for a loop by any irregularity. So cool and so much more fun for Phil too, I'm sure. It's great to be able to share stories of feeling better!

Please remember that the deadline for my giveaway with CSN stores is tomorrow: Tuesday December 14th, to give the winner the best chance of getting their goodies in time for the holidays. See my original post to enter. I'm on Alaska time, so all day tomorrow won't be too late for most timezones!

Also, please chip in on my conversation about ground rules for nutritional research and self-experimentation--we all do it, so let's do our best with it!