“The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience.”
― Eleanor Roosevelt
I can’t express the freeness of being in the mountains, running the trails, reaching different peaks, and taking in the vast beauty that we take for granted every single day. There is a moment when you look at your life and realize that you do the same damn thing every single day…you forget to LIVE. I am grateful to have a best friend who helps me see the beauty in everything and helps me take chances. We were joking about this today. A couple months ago I was saying how I wanted to do a sunrise hike and then yesterday Ashley texted me asking if I would do it with her and of course I said yes! We always joke that I always say all the things I want to do, want to hike, want to experience, and Ash is the person that makes it happen. We are perfect best friends because we never ever complain, we will always say yes to new adventures, and we just GO.
How many times have you done that? If you can’t think of the last time you’ve done that, strongly consider what’s stopping you from truly living. It is not so hard to at the very least, create a mini adventure once a week. It can be ANYTHING….but as long as you do small things in between the normal things…you will add so much more to your life. When I do things like this, it gets all the blood rushing in my body; it’s like a high, a sweet happiness.
Anyway we woke up at 3am and drove out to Rattlesnake Ledge (we chose an easy familiar hike so we wouldn’t get lost)…it was pitch black. I was scared shitless I’m not going to lie. I tried my hardest to stay present but random stories kept popping up in my head. It was dark, ash had a headlamp, I had a lantern, and we trekked up sooooo fast. Once we got there, it was literally breathtaking. The sun was still behind the mountains and the air was still a bit chilly. We did some fun yoga poses as usual and sat around and waited for the sun. Its crazy how quiet everything is this early in the morning and the birds just started chirping. The squirrels finally woke up and we saw the earth wake up. Little by little, life awoke. Then the sun rose and it was literally one of the most beautiful feelings! We felt a sense of pride and completion being up there on top of that mountain experiencing so much all before 6am.
Afterwards we had the most delicious brunch at Eques in downtown Bellevue. We definitely splurged! I had an egg white veggie omelet and we shared these AMAZING tiramisu pancakes. After this, the manager started giving us all these free desserts and I literally had to take a nap after brunch haha. Anyway I got up, went to Bassline and did a lean running/TRX class and now I’m tuckered completely! I’m laying here fresh out the shower with some Suja juice, yum! What a fantastic day. I think I may go lay out on the lake on a floatie soon or read….either way I hope all of you know that life is short….do what you love…experience what is in front of you and stay present. I haven’t been this happy in awhile:) I will leave you with this amazing quote I found. Read it, it’s worth the inspiration:
<3 <3 <3
“One final paragraph of advice: do not burn yourselves out. Be as I am – a reluctant enthusiast….a part-time crusader, a half-hearted fanatic. Save the other half of yourselves and your lives for pleasure and adventure. It is not enough to fight for the land; it is even more important to enjoy it. While you can. While it’s still here. So get out there and hunt and fish and mess around with your friends, ramble out yonder and explore the forests, climb the mountains, bag the peaks, run the rivers, breathe deep of that yet sweet and lucid air, sit quietly for a while and contemplate the precious stillness, the lovely, mysterious, and awesome space. Enjoy yourselves, keep your brain in your head and your head firmly attached to the body, the body active and alive, and I promise you this much; I promise you this one sweet victory over our enemies, over those desk-bound men and women with their hearts in a safe deposit box, and their eyes hypnotized by desk calculators. I promise you this; You will outlive the bastards.”
― Edward Abbey
