My friend and I hiked around Indian Garden Farms. We have done it many times – but only once this year. We really haven’t been hiking much this year in part because the weather has been terrible, and in part because I’ve been spending most of my days painting.

I really felt the need for some forest bathing – so the hike was just what the doctor ordered.

I was reminded that when I first got diagnosed I started walking. I struggled with walking more than 1km without back pain. However, over the time I was doing chemo I expanded my walking endurance to over 10 km. It was a slow process, but one that was helped by having a friend to talk to while we walked.

I realized that with all the painting, I haven’t been out walking much. I’ve been lucky to get to the beach once a week. But not just that. I used to walk Cali multiple times a day. We would walk around the pond (just over a km), and often walk the extension making it a 2km walk. We did this once or twice a day in addition to shorter walks around the block. With the extra people in the house, and with me not feeling well, I haven’t been walking her as much – and I realized today that I miss it. In my mind it was a ‘chore’ that needed doing, but in reality it is a great excuse to get out from my computer and enjoy a little break in my day (even when the weather isn’t perfect).

And so, I’m going to try to walk more. I’m going to try and use that as a way to reconnect with my body.

No news yet from my oncologist. I hope to hear something soon. I’m on limbo right now, unable to plan for October – not knowing if I should be cancelling a trip I have scheduled or not. I’m on pause, back in wait mode. Thankfully, when my mind starts to wonder towards the worst case scenario, Cali (my puppy) brings me back into the present. Reminding me that right now, life is pretty darn good.