It's been just over four weeks since I got wiped out. Funny enough, I have this propensity for doing things the odd way. Instead of just catching a Covid, which in many cases is more than enough to cause one's existential rug to get rumpled, I went above and beyond. In a twelve hour period I managed to do a trifecta of things, including hemorrhaging, getting bit on the spine by a spider, and coming down with the virus.
Oh yes, and since I have an autoimmune disorder, my poor immune system did the only logical thing, it completely nuked my endocrine system.
My convalescence is not what this post is about however, but I had to give some context as to why I was returning to snowshoeing.
After years of wanting a pair of my very own, I finally got myself a pair of beautiful blue snowshoes for Christmas. I even got to take them out for a spin on the Pack River with a couple of my friends who I snowshoe with a lot during the winter. My health was in a great place, I was running three miles a few times a week and lifting weights. I felt GOOD.
I like viewing obstacles as a challenge for learning, a game so to speak. Framing setbacks this way has done wonders for my overall well-being. I am a bit of an optimist anyway, so seeing setbacks as a game really does wonders in the managing anxiety department. That said, getting completely wiped out and losing all of my fitness progress has been a bit of a, well, downer.
As I write this, my pituitary gland feels like it is being squeezed by the Mountain. Like it's a grapefruit that is being used by that giant Icelandic creature for hand strengthening conditioning. It's really great.
Doing anything beyond rote patterned behavior is a no go right now, my body is a depleted spaghetti noodle of no energy and, my friends, that is about as opposite of where I typically dwell as you can be. This state I am currently ensconced in is...frustrating.
So, I turned it into a game. A challenge.
And that brings us back to snowshoeing. Instead of my normal two hour, multiple mile trek, I knew I had to start small. Twenty minutes was my goal.
Thankfully, I am blessed to live on a beautiful farm in the North Idaho woods. I got out my snowshoes, strapped them to my feet, and headed off into the back yonder of our home.
Of course my little shadow went with me, Crazy Cora the cowboy corgi. She truly is the best companion ever, always near and fully present. As I began my abbreviated trek around the farm's trails I had a smile pasted to my mug from the start thanks to my ever-present canine friend.
Let's just say, I am truly thankful I was in halfway decent shape before being immune system maimed, for I made it around my course. Strangely enough, I never came close to getting out of breath, but dang are my muscles and energy levels trashed.
But I made it. And next time I will go for thirty minutes. Because growth requires persistence.
And on a humorous, bonus-ending note, during my trek I totally freaked the cattle out, they did not appreciate my altered appearance, Pumpkin (my daughter's show steer) still has not forgiven me馃ぃ
And as most of the of time, all of the images in this post were taken on the author's immune system free and full of rare earth mineral glee iPhone.
