Everything is Zen

When the “powers that be” in your life set you on a journey that completely transforms your life into what you’re meant for, you must embrace it. Let go of the old and embrace the new. Flourish in all your blessings. You deserve it!

Letting go of the old in your life doesn’t mean you don’t remember the good times you had or the wonderful people that were with you. It’s just that you let go of “who” you were in that time. You weren’t meant to be as stressed as you were back then. The lack of nature trails to soothe your soul at that time, depriving you of the peace your soul desperately needed. The chaos of everyday living was such static in your mind that you didn’t even know how much you needed the bounty that nature offers.

Letting go is really just a change that happens within you. A freedom you can give yourself as you embrace the new you.

Would we change a thing in “our” story? No! The hard times, being diagnosed with MS, the stress of losing a job he worked so hard for, these difficult times are a part of the journey just as much as the bounty we now flourish in.

We wouldn’t appreciate what we have now if it wasn’t for all that. We’re done being angry and stressed over all those difficulties and now we’re grateful for them. They gave us some wrinkles and stories to share. Now we can sit around a fire at the home we thought we’d only dream about and share these stories.

We are truly blessed.

Is MS still a challenge for us? Yes absolutely!

Our walks in the woods might not be as long as they once were, but we’re still out there. The beauty we’re surrounded by and the bounty of trails we have to enjoy are limitless in our new surroundings. At times we need to pinch ourselves just to remember that we’re here.

The changes we had to make to get here were so very small when you really think about it. It really is the little things in life that makes the most difference.

Only when you let the chaos of the everyday life cloud your thoughts and focus, it’s easy to allow the mundane to become the normal. Everyday stress becomes your everyday life and that’s just the normal you grow accustomed to. You’re normal can cause you to lash out at times you wish you wouldn’t. You put stress on relationships that mean a lot to you. You find yourself complaining all the time. And why, why am I so stressed? I have a roof over my head, food on the table, people I love. I should have nothing to complain about.

When we took the leap and got on the Appalachian Trail, it was the biggest risk we’ve ever taken. We let go of the mundane and set out to walk miles upon miles everyday. We didn’t realize just how much it was going to change us. The peace and quiet on the trail gave us a chance that we were never going to have living in our personal chaos in NH. We had trails living there, but they were filled with other hikers and were the same trails we would take over and over. On the AT we had something far different from what we were used to.

Hiking 8-17 miles a day, coming across people that were also on a life shaking journey and having hours upon hours of silence really woke us up. We had time to think about the little things in life, the things that matters to us, and the way we feel about it all. When it all boils down it’s really all about perspective. The way we feel about situations, obstacles, people, is the first choice we make. After we choose how we feel we then choose what action to take. This will often cause irrational decisions that will lead to less than desirable outcomes.

How can we stop this?

Well, maybe we could make a better choice when we decide how we’re going to feel first.

Easier said than done. Right?

Yes, it’s going to take years of practice. After each time we triumph over our emotions we become more powerful over our lives. Our perspective slowly changes and our stressors slowly disappear. They are not gone from our lives, but the controls they had are. Life is becoming happier as the new “us” is developing in our life and the old “us” is fading away.

We’re experiencing the feeling of “Everything is Zen.”

We are at one with nature.