Today I turned 40 years old with a bottle of champagne and my family on a summit overlooking the North Cascades. We kicked off the weekend on the Pacific Crest Trail at Harts Pass near Canada. The PCT was the first “big girl” trail I hiked after moving to Seattle in 2013. Spending time in complete silence (for hours) was a first for me. It truly changed my life. When I finally grew comfortable paying attention without immediately reacting, I was really able to listen and see life around me in a way I never had before. If someone asks what really led to the end of my career, it was an internal shift I have a hard time describing but ultimately resembles self-awareness, and it probably began on the PCT. I met several through hikers this weekend who started at the Mexico border and were almost done. I asked what they planned to do after such an accomplishment. “Go home and get back to work,” most said. At first it seems anticlimactic but I remember Trent Peterson, a young man whose story I told years ago, as he rode wild mustangs along the PCT. He used to say that the PCT is just a trail, what matters is that we slow down, pay attention and see clearly whatever path we’re on. I looked up a quote from that report to share with you all.
“This isn't to advocate for the PCT. The PCT is just a trail. Get out of the rat race and slow down. Pay attention to the little things, not just the big things, because it's the whole picture we need to be aware of," he said.
So many problems can be solved with patience and rest, at least on a farm.
WINE:
http://alisonwinepromo.com
COD LIVER/ BUTTER OIL (Promo code “Alison” for 10% off):
http://greenpasture.org
This was just a typical afternoon storm. Our power flickered but thankfully stayed on. Hurricane season ends November 30…yeehaw!
I had so much fun doing this I may make it a weekly video. Also if you want to drink the same old-world, naturally fermented, high altitude wines I drink with my chickens, don’t forget to join my wine club!
WINE:
Https://AlisonWinePromo.com
COD LIVER / BUTTER OIL:
https://www.greenpasture.org/
"Editorial Advice"...
296. How Biased Language in News Reporting Serves Propagandists - Pocket Casts
https://pocketcasts.com/podcasts/3d000470-ace9-0137-fae8-0acc26574db2/4a318437-6751-467f-a71d-da741b68a39c
https://open.substack.com/pub/petermcculloughmd/p/mit-study-finds-artificial-intelligence?
Don’t outsource your brain. Be a Luddite