I was away over the weekend in Virginia and West Virginia for a hiking conference and a quick trip to the AT. I had to go visit the ponies at Grayson Highlands State Park on my way home!
This video isn’t quite wordless, because I say, “Hi, Pretty!” at one point – but the ponies sure are fuzzy and cute! I’m not feeding the pony in this video – I’m just holding out my hand and getting licked – but I will confess I shared part of my apple with two of the ponies!
Enjoy, and if you’re planning to hike the Appalachian Trail any time soon or even just dreaming about it, my Wild and White Blazing program for women planning an AT hike begins next week! Check it out and sign up to find out more!
You plan a walk or a hike and then it rains. So you stay inside and postpone the walk until the weather’s better.
I’ve done it plenty – I’ve stayed inside because of rain. I like dry weather and blue skies and long views. But I’ve also learned to like fog and mist and rain and even a downpour here and there. I’ve learned to love raindrops dripping from flowers and leaves all shiny and wet.
While I’ve never been a fan of hiking in the mud- in fact walking in mud for fourteen miles on my first day on the Appalachian Trail in Vermont made me cry – I realize that a walk in the rain can often be lovely. It shifts the perspective closer- to the moss on the trail side, or a bark-darkened tree, or a puddle adorned with fallen leaves. Rain puts up a curtain around the long views so you notice what’s right in front of you. Sometimes its a box turtle in the trail. Or a squirrel fixing up a nest for the evening.
Last night I hosted a wordless walk – it was supposed to be to enjoy the sunset and moonrise, but clouds and rain all day made visibility of the sunset unlikely. So people who’d planned to attend the walk mostly stayed away – rain tends to do that.
I learned from six months hiking the Appalachian Trail that if I only hiked when it wasn’t raining, I would never finish the journey. It rains a lot in the eastern woodlands. Yesterday I had nowhere I needed to be and I could have easily stayed home and canceled the walk, knowing that people understand that you don’t go out walking in the rain.
But I’d been inside too much this week. So I went. And I’m so glad I did. The quality of light as day shifted to night was magical.
The rain was only a sprinkle here and there. I really did watch a squirrel prepare its nighttime cozy spot.
And the moon peeked out from the clouds for a moment!
The breeze was the absolute perfect temperature, and I got what I’d come out for – stillness for my soul.
Here’s one more wordless video for you – raindrops on the bayou. Watch the ripples. So calming.
So what are your thoughts? Will you go walking in the rain? What do you love about rain?
I love how frogs are the color of the water. Need some wordless time? Come join me this Sunday at 8 a.m. just a bit south of New Orleans, at Jean Lafitte National Park- Barataria, for a wordless walk. We’ll meet at the Pecan Grove parking lot. Details here.
And if you live far away, send me your wordless photos and stories!
Happy Thursday, everyone! There are so many great things happening right now! And something here might be just the dose of inspiration you need!
First, on Monday I was a guest on Stacey Shank’s Blog Talk Radio Show – she’s the mastermind behind the 30 Day Challenge that I participated in. We talked about how to realize our own overwhelm and ways to remedy that and live more calmly. And I do a cool sense drenching activity that’s super relaxing. If you have 30 minutes, give it a listen! – click the little play icon below.
Second, I’m so excited about my upcoming Clarity and Connection retreat – right on the Autumnal Equinox- September 21-23 – a perfect time to be quiet in nature so you can hear your soul. Waterfall hiking, an incredibly beautiful and relaxing setting, and the perfect mix of unstructured time and group time to share with other wise women. I still have spots available, so check your calendar and see if a personal getaway in September is just what you’re looking for! Read more details and sign up here.
Third, if you’re in the New Orleans area, I have two wordless walks coming up! I’m hosting a morning walk on Sunday August 26 at 8 a.m. and then a moonlight wordless walk on Friday, August 31 – it’s a special blue moon! You can read more about these events here. And if you’re not near New Orleans, have you signed up to get my free wordless cure for busyness? It gives you great directions on how to take your own wordless walk, and how to incorporate more wordlessness into your daily life and dial back the busyness. You can sign up on the side bar to the right, or if you’re reading this on a phone and don’t see a side bar, then click here. Then you’ll be subscribed and get email updates from me and exciting offers and other fun wild and precious goodies!
Fourth, I am looking for people to share their experiences with wordlessness for my Wordless Wednesdays. I want to start a wordlessness revolution and I would love to feature you and your wordless video or photos. Feel free to write about your wordless experience as well. Send your wordless goodies to me: carla@livingwildandprecious.com – and if you include your snail mail address in your email, I’ll send you a treat!
Fifth and best of all, if you’re at all interested in seeing how coaching can make a difference in your life, this is a great time to find out. My coaching rates will be increasing in September, so now’s the time to jump in, invest in yourself and save some money at the same time. Are you itching to live more wild and precious? Click to schedule a free call with me and learn more!
I haven’t gone to bed, so it’s still Wednesday to me! I think this may be one of my favorite one minute wordless videos so far. Can you hear the cicadas? Enjoy!
And if you have wordless photos or videos to share, please email them to me and I’ll share them on Wordless Wednesdays! carla at livingwildandprecious dot com.
