Before children, one of my favorite activities was hiking. It still is. I had this idealistic vision of perfect days spent hiking as a family in the great outdoors. What could possibly be better than meandering and looking for wildflowers and wildlife? Well, as is often the case, dream life is different than real life. As a mother, I had to coax my children out of the house and down the trail. If you’ve ever experienced a hike with reluctant hikers, you know the feeling of impatience and frustrations assertively expressed as a question: “are we there yet?” Strangely enough, Covid is starting to feel that way to me now that I am fully vaccinated. It seems that the more I can do, my tolerance for the new normal is fading. How much longer? I am back in the yoga studio, but when can we stop wearing masks? When would I be able to travel out of country? Go on a long-distance trek? On the road to the end of COVID-19, are we there yet?
It’s a challenge bouncing back. According to the CDC, fully vaccinated people can see each other without a mask or social distancing. Yet, when I met a friend, also fully vaccinated, and she reached out to hug me, I jumped back as if a snake was chasing me. Spending time together with other people in close proximity is still a bit uncomfortable after over a year of physical distancing. It’s a process. So, what now? I am grateful to have survived an unprecedented global pandemic. To be healthy and mostly unscathed when so many people have lost so much. But I also feel it is fair to say that even those of us who are the lucky ones are not 100% who we were pre-pandemic. Having lived through over a year of Covid restrictions, isolation, and uncertainty, we still have a long way to go before we regain stability and fully restore mental health. And no better time to think about post-pandemic well-being than this month, May being Mental Health Month. Our lives have been disrupted and impacted, and many are still struggling to bounce back.
As for me, while I am dreaming of far-away mountains, I recognize I need to stay grounded and practice gratitude every day and with every step moving forward toward returning to normal; more places opening and more restrictions lifted. It’s time to apply some lessons learned from the pool of thru-hiking shared wisdom. Although circumstances may change in the blink of an eye - one day you are under a shelter-in-place order, or at the starting point of a long-distance trek - we adjust to change at a much slower pace. The bigger the change, the longer it will take to power through, and the more effort that will be required to keep taking one step at a time. They say that for long-distance hikes one needs to pack a light heart. Whether trekking or managing change, it’s important to remember that the true accomplishment is in rising above by making consistent effort to put your best self forward, taking consistent action. It is the series of small wins along the way that make even the most difficult journey easier and far greater.
The natural inclination is to focus on the end-goal rather than the succession of significant gains to keep on target. We are conditioned to be oriented to the finish line. When it extends longer that we anticipate, it may be a struggle to keep going. The biggest skill for long-distance hikers is to stay positive and motivated. Focusing on the positives reinforces the ability to keep pushing forward. It means appreciating those everyday moments that we may tend to play down or ignore. Recognizing and celebrating the little things, the small wins, can make all the difference. But you may ask what is a small win? You would need to define this for yourself. It may be anything that puts a smile on your face, or makes you feel empowered and confident. It is those activities or things that motivate you to aim high, reach further, do more. These are the variables that influence further progress. Make no mistake, those little things that may seem like they do not affect the trajectory to success, actually do. They add up and make the experience meaningful. They are the things that help us build a life and that we remember about the journey.
By celebrating small wins, you’d be building momentum to the end to clinch the victory. For example, to complete the Camino de Santiago in 25 days, one could choose to walk 20 miles every day, 500 miles from St. Jean Pied de Port to Santiago de Compostela. A beautiful way for a pilgrim to celebrate her progress is getting a daily stamp on the special passport. Having all the stamps is required for getting the Pilgrim’s Certificate and Distance Certificate. These documents are a great souvenir. Moreover, they are powerful motivators on the way. Picking up the certificate for completion of the Half Way of the Camino in Sahagun brings tears of joy and a great feeling of elation even to the toughest of hikers. No matter how long the journey may be, it’s important to live in the present, feel the joy, and make sure to celebrate the wins of each day. They will make the long-run seem easier. Celebrate any achievement, big and small, with a reward. Even something as simple as a colorful stamp can motivate you to keep going.
Getting in the habit of getting excited about the little things is the gateway to living with joy. As grown-ups we typically lose our sense of childlike wonder. It becomes increasingly difficult to appreciate and get excited about the ordinary. It seems that in our achievement driven culture in which we worship at the altar of big wins and mega success, there’s no room left for the ordinary anymore. But often it is in the ordinary that we find the greatest joys. The difference between the ordinary and the extraordinary is that something extra. Be sure to find it. Figure out what’s working for you, and do more of it. Try and put in a little “extra” into the ordinary every single day to create the extraordinary, you are nearly there.
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