What I've Been Up To

I am very happy to say that since my last post about fighting depression (again) I've been having a lot more "up" days. I'm still not back where I want to be, but the suicidal thoughts are gone, I can (usually) catch my negative thoughts and remind myself that one bad moment doesn't make a bad day, month, year, or life. I noticed that I had gotten a bit lazy in doing the daily spiritual recharging that is apparently absolutely necessary for me. As I've gotten better about starting each day with scriptures and prayer, I'm finding that the darkness gets pushed away and I'm able to focus on more hopeful things. My energy level is still low so I'm not exactly getting lots of great stuff done, but I'm working on it. I've also been more consistent with exercising almost every day (another requirement for warding off the depression.) It sure seems like a lot of work just to live somewhat normally, but if it keeps the suffocating feeling of nothingness away, it's worth it.

Lately David and I have been doing more hiking, since our trip to Hocking Hills reawakened that passion. To me, spending a few hours in the woods with David is heavenly. I love trees, hills, rocks, birds, and everything to do with the woods (except mosquitos, but I've got good repellant!) We're working on getting in better shape so 2 hours worth of hiking wears us out pretty well, but it's a good feeling to know that we can still get out there and make it to the tops of hills and deep into the woods!

This past Saturday we went to Miami Whitewater Forest and did all three trails. It was warm and super muggy, but still a pleasant day in the shade of the trees. We saw a wild turkey, which was pretty cool. First time I've seen one out on the trails, although I've seen them while driving around sometimes.

I've also been doing more reading lately (another of my favorite things to do!) David and I are both enjoying some books by Bill Bryson, especially one on the Appalachian trail. It's made us decide that we'd like to hike the Blue Ridge portion of the Appalachian trail. I'm not sure if that dream will ever come true (David has to learn to tolerate camping at the least. Maybe not enjoy it, but at least be able to do it!!) but it gives us something to work towards in the future.

This week it's supposed to be in the mid 90's with high humidity all week. That's going to curb the outdoor activities a little, but will maybe give me more time for reading... so it's a win-win situation for me!

There's a wild turkey in the following photo, if you look closely (right in the middle... look for his long neck and darker body!)