You Owe yourself a Little Kindness...

I need to be kind to my body.  I have to remind myself of this more often than I care to admit.  I often get frustrated by my limitations when I'm in the outside world.  I want to hike further, explore new and more remote areas, and climb technically difficult summits. 

And I can't always do that.

It's my back injury.  I know that if I push too far, go too far, I'm going to end up in a lot of pain and unable to get back out there for weeks, maybe even months.  And that's definitely not worth it.

I have to do things differently. I have to use lighter equipment.  I have to make sure my boots have the right support.  That my pack doesn't press in to certain areas of my back - 52 packs later and I finally found one! 

I have to take breaks and do stretches throughout hikes, even shorter ones.  I need to remember that high mileage hikes two days in a row may be a problem.  Heck, even hiking two days in a row may cause a problem. 

In other words - I need to be kind to my body. 

Despite my frustrations, I need to remember to thank my body for what it CAN do.  It CAN go on hikes, and take me to places I haven't seen, deep in to forests.  And that there are people with able bodies that will never see the hidden, secret places I will.  

And while I may have to take it slow and easy, that's just part of what makes it my journey.

So happy birthday to me - and my body. 

And remember, be kind to yourself and your body. 

Do you ever get frustrated with the limitations of your body?  What do you do?  Leave a comment below or contact me here!