I’m not one to have regrets. Wishes maybe but there is no point in looking in the rear view mirror unless in traffic. I listen to a lot of podcasts about outdoor adventures, health and wellness and high performance. Often the people being interviewed are asked if they have any regrets. Most say no… “but”. I also have a “but” and that is that I had learned to love some of the things I do now twenty years ago. But…
Through the pandemic a lot of people, including myself have found new interests or have rekindled old interests. Things that we can do that keep us safe, active and close to home. Lucky for us, we live with a mountain playground right out our backdoor.
While ski touring with a friend a few weeks back, we were all basking in the glory of the bluebird sky, still cold air and the endless view from the top of our up-track. My friend turned to the group and said, “Man, my only wish is that I had started doing this 20 years ago.” How coincidental that I had made that statement to my husband, Chris while we were out on a walk only a few nights before.
While walking I expressed to Chris that I felt like we should have raised our girls differently. We should have raised them to be more “outdoorsy” as opposed to boxing them into their sports of figure skating and competitive dance. I made the statement but in my next breath I realized that they both love their chosen sport and really, how could we have done different when we didn’t know any different?
I often find myself in awe of some family friends we have that have two daughters slightly older than ours. They do all the crazy outdoor adventures. Ski-touring, hiking, rock-climbing, ice-climbing and more. I’m lucky if I can get my girls out for a 5km walk! It made me wonder if we had done all the outdoor stuff when they were little, if they’d have more of an interest today. What I want most is for them to have life-long activities that bring them joy and keep them active. Skating certainly can be a life-long activity but dance not so much. If I look back on my childhood, my brother and I and our neighbourhood friends spent hours outside in the bush, building forts and riding bikes and walking from house to house. I’m grateful for the lack of technology back then. I was also a dancer from ages 5 to 18 but it just didn’t require the time or commitment that it does now. We still had room to explore a lot of other things. Now a days, no matter what sport you choose, it really seems to be all encompassing. While it teaches commitment and work ethic, I again, wonder if it keeps the walls too close.
I also found myself thinking about my parents and their interests when we were kids. My parents as well as my husbands parents both ran large businesses. Our dads worked 7 days a week for many years when we were young. My dad worked as a logging contractor for 35 years. He was outside in the harshest of elements 365 days a year. So I can completely empathize with why he didn’t want to drag us out on a hike on a day off. He spent his whole working life hiking up and down mountains.
He told us a story a couple weeks ago about an avalanche that had come down across one of their access roads many years ago. A couple other loggers were buried in their truck under the snow and my dad and uncle didn’t know. All he knew was they couldn’t get to their cut block and needed to clear the road. So my dad strapped on his snowshoes, something that all loggers had for work and not play. He then hiked up to get the CAT to clear the road. He eventually un-covered these two men who had been waiting for someone to find them! When I tell my dad that I am hiking a mountain in snowshoes, he cannot understand why I would think that was fun! It makes me laugh but I also understand his point! He even has his own term for snowshoes, “misery slippers”.
Its never too late to start exploring and to start challenging yourself. If you want to be really inspired, I highly recommend you listen to the Feisty Menopause podcast (episode 5). It features Cherie Gruenfeld who at the age of 42 went from watching a marathon while laying in her bed to winning multiple marathons and even 18 Ironmans and 13 world title Ironmans. Now if that doesn’t blow your mind! She is now 76 and has a couple of really big goals including another Ironman.
I guess the thing for people to remember is that things happen when they are supposed to and how they are supposed to. At least I believe so. For me, finding my way back to hiking and spending so much time outdoors the past year was a path to a lot of healing. I’m not sure if I found it or it found me. When the thoughts of wishing that I had found “this or that” years ago comes creeping in, I remind myself that its never too late and that in order to enjoy what I’m doing for years to come, I need to take care of my body and mind and practice gratitude daily. I also hope that I am modelling well for my girls. Even if they don’t love the outdoors now, hopefully one day they too will find solace in the peace and tranquility nature brings.
