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.
The kids mastered riding their bikes without training wheels over the weekend, so of course they had to challenge daddy to a bicycle duel. “Daddy, what tricks can YOU do?!” This is what ensued.
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The kids and I just finished a weekend of door knocking to get the word out about the proposed cell tower in our neighborhood. I know I have a background in talking to strangers professionally but I have to tell you, it’s exhausting. On the plus side, I’m getting to know a lot of my neighbors which has been very cool.
Don’t forget you can help by sending an email to our county telling them you oppose the tower. Just reference Blue Sky Towers Application # CU-2026-00003. Email [email protected] by 9/10.
What would you tell your neighbors if you were door knocking like me? I’d love some ideas!
Mommy Cow, our Angus, is back from the Love Palace where she had a bull-friend for 3 months. We are hoping she is pregnant and we will have a healthy calf come Spring. She evaded capture for a month so her return here is a little late but I guess she wanted to stay at summer camp a little longer.
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