September 2009

It’s not like I got an article in Time magazine or anything but I did get a Nordic Walking article published in the Twin Cities Housing Guide that came out last month.  “Active Aging Through Nordic Walking”  complete with pictures and an invitation to call me to do a demo.  Check it out!

http://www.after55publishing.com/emags/twincitieshousingguide/20092010/pageflip.html

Wear the good news about nordic walking!  I’ve created a Cafe Press store with T’s and stickers.  Check it out. If you have another quote you’d like to see let me know. It’s easy to create new ones or different styles of shirts.  Do we need sweat shirts as we go into fall? 

www.cafepress.com/nordicqueen

This past weekend was the 42nd Annual Hoigaard’s Tent Sale. It’s the official kick off for winter, the first time folks can get their hands on equipment and apparel to go out and play in the snow this year.  It was my 12th working sale and I’m always amazed at how much work it is to set up and prep for this event.  I’ve worked 8 days in a row, first hauling ski boots out to the tent and organizing them on shelves, then 3 days of kneeling on asphalt covered by indoor carpet fitting ski boots, and finally 2 days of bringing all the equipment back into the store and new this year organizing it for another extended weekend sale.  I am exhausted and looking forward to a day off today. 

 My morning walks were put on hold for a few days.  It’s hard physical labor to pull off this sale and I just couldn’t get out of bed to walk.  Yet, it was the Nordic Walking Tuesday at Lake of the Isles last nite that put me back into rhythm with my body and spirit.  It was so good to walk and talk with the women and enjoy a warm night around the lake.

We had several new walkers, thanks in part to Chris Freytag’s Monday Motivation article on Nordic Walking.  I first met Chris 4 years ago when she called wanting to learn more about this “walking with sticks” activity.  Chris is a fellow affficionado of being active outdoors and does a weekly early morning spot encouraging people to get out and get moving.  It was fun to reconnect with her and I appreciate the push for Nordic Walking!http://www.kare11.com/news/local/mornings/motivation/motivation_article.aspx?storyid=824395&catid=188 

Serendipity: The effect by which one accidentally discovers something fortunate, especially while looking for something entirely unrelated. 
 
When my kids were little we had a series of books called Serendipity.  They featured a small sea creature named, of course, Serendipity, trying desperately to discover just who she was and what she was meant to do in this world. Each adventure had a serendipitous ending, a surprise that no one was expecting.
 
Serendipity became a favorite word and quest. We were always looking for the serendipity in a situation, staying open for what we were really suppose to be seeing or experiencing or learning.  One of my favorites was my youngest, Sam, calling me early in the morning to tell me about the beautiful sunrise above the woods and fields by the high school.  He didn’t particularly like high school, found it a difficult place to be, and yet saw past the building to the beauty of the morning and carried that with him all day, still talking about it when I saw him in the evening.
 
Serendipity is a bit of a surprise, the “aha” moments of our lives.  Last week I found the first eggs from the laying chickens. Tiny little eggs tucked down in the sawdust and in the nesting boxes.  The wonderful promise of lots of good eating to come.  (yes, they will get bigger)  I was cleaning the stall when I found the first one, not really expecting them for a couple more weeks.  I was so excited, joy in a small blue oval.  Those first eggs flooded me with memories; little hands picking eggs, my mom with a basket full, washing and sorting, trying to color colored eggs for Easter, wonderful connections to family and the gifts of nature.
 
Adventures in nature and the outdoors are full of serendipity.  Be ready to be surprised!