Got off my backside today

Two trillium today

My friend Melanie suggested that we go for a hike today, as it's been awhile since we got together to enjoy the outdoors. I told her that I have been feeling more than lethargic, even downright lazy and unwilling to rouse myself from the easy chair. But upon her urging, we met this morning at the local trailhead to head up Chuckanut Mountain, one of our favorite places. And the trillium are out and abundant!

Salmonberry (Mel's picture)

As we began the hike, I kept thinking I would have to turn around and let her go without me, since my hip hurt and the uphill sections seemed enormously difficult. She slowed down as I whined about not being in shape, etc., but after a short break, I realized that there is a reason I need to keep doing this exercise regularly: since I have nerve damage and compromised circulation in my right leg, only constant exercise keeps it from deteriorating. And my recent vacation from any kind of physical effort had taken its toll. So I kept going.

Red currant in bloom

After we had been out for an hour or so, I began to perk up a little and felt the wonderful environment, green and lush, revive my interest. We stopped lots to take pictures, and before I knew it, I was happy and feeling much better about everything, including my hip. Guess I just needed a bit of a push from a dear friend, eh?

Is that a cigarette or a joint?

Someone noticed striations on this tree's bark that reminded them of a face, so he or she added a rock for a nose and stuck something in his mouth. The science of seeing faces in inanimate objects is called Pareidolia, which at one time was considered a symptom of human psychosis, but it is now seen as a normal human tendency. (That link takes you to Wikipedia and explains more about the phenomenon.) Whoever first noticed this one was quite clever in making it impossible for passersby not to see the face and injected some joy into at least two observers.

By the time we finished our lovely outing, I was feeling like a new person myself. My hip had loosened after having gotten the kinks worked out, and the wonderful day, along with Melanie's company, made me very happy to have spent my morning and afternoon out and about. I did, however, binge-watch a wonderful show yesterday, which I highly recommend to anyone looking for a fascinating series: Undone. I would tell you what it's about, but I can't. Suffice it to say it got a score of 10/10 from Rotten Tomatoes, so I must not be alone in having enjoyed it so much.

And now, I've settled back into my easy chair, but this time I no longer feel guilty but instead sated by another wonderful day outdoors. Perhaps I will be more enthusiastic next time Melanie suggests a hike and won't look for excuses so readily. (P.S.: we were physically distant from each other as per usual, and we both wore face masks, saw only a few people on the trail, and everyone was polite and kept their distance.)
:-)