Life is a Climb, But the View is Great

Have you ever really stopped and admired how beautiful the world is around us? Often times we take it for granted. We see nature, not as something to relish but rather, it's just there. The sunrise happens in the morning, the sunset at night, flowers bloom, trees grow, it is all just nature's routine to us. We forget to stop and appreciate all of those things. Really, when you think about it, for the most part nature is one of the purest things in our world, it is always there. Nature is present for us when we need to just take a moment and basque in the beauty, which we should do more often.

Pennsylvania is a beautiful state. Don't get me wrong, it's no Iowa, but it has its perks. One of those perks which I have found to enjoy very much is all of the great hiking trails. Hiking has become a nice hobby of mine as of late. I think one of the aspects that makes it so great is, there are many different paths to follow when hiking. Typically I try to pick out one main trail to follow but as I go along a lot of the trails have multiple paths and really, it becomes my choice on which one to take. I see it as a metaphor for life. Like previously mentioned in my first post, who says we have to follow one path but rather, it is important for us to travel down many to really find out who we are. It can, however, be difficult because there have been times when I have gotten lost due to my choice of path, but I always find my way home. Again, totally relatable to life because the choices we make frame how our lives are going to turn out. The positive is that even if we stumble or make a bad choice we always have the opportunity for redemption and to pick ourselves back up. In my mind no one is ever truly lost, they are just making the hike.

Flat Rock Trail starts in Colonel Denning State Park and leads
to Blue Mountain in Tuscarora State Forest. 

Something else that is very gratifying about hiking is the beautiful nature that surrounds me. I love the smell of the trees, flowers, and fresh air. The sounds of birds, the wind, and leaves rustling is very calming. Now the hikes themselves vary by difficulty, some are steeper than others and it is not always easy making it to the top. Life is an uphill climb. One of my favorite trails I have hiked is called Flat Rock Trail. It is an awesome trip up to the top, it takes about forty five minutes and it is very steep, nothing like an uphill climb to show you how out of shape you are. Let's just say since graduating college my workout routine has dwindled somewhat. Anyway, the hike is well worth it because the view at the top is absolutely amazing. It makes it nice knowing that I am working to reach that point and as difficult as it is to get there, the feeling of looking out over the landscape just takes my breath away. Life is always going to be an uphill climb and when things get difficult it is unfortunately our inclination to stop and stay where we are because it is comfortable instead of treading on into the unknown. I don't know if anyone ever made it anywhere in life by being comfortable all the time, but rather, the uncomfortable is what helps shape us into the people we are today.

Morning view from the top of Blue Mountain.

Hobbies are a great thing because it is a way for us to escape everything else we have going on in our lives. I do at times find that statement contradictory and I wonder if others do too because if our intention is to simply use our respective hobbies as an outlet to escape from our lives, I don't know if that is necessarily a good practice. The term escapism, which means to seek distraction and relief from unpleasant realities, comes to mind. I do think hobbies can help us, but it is all about our intentions. Escaping is not inherently a bad thing but it shouldn't be part of our routine when things get difficult. If my intention when going hiking is to run away from the difficulties of my life, well, they are going to be there when I return. No amount of hiking can make them go away and at some point we all have to face our difficulties, but it is nice to just feel free for a little bit. I need to start looking at my hobbies as a way of shaping who I am, not as a way of escaping and avoiding the difficulties in my life.

It might sound like I am against us having hobbies but that is not my intention at all. We do need to find things that interest us and that we enjoy taking part in but that should be why we do them. Participate in the things you love because you are passionate not because life is hard and it is a way to run away from it. Utilize your hobbies as a form of release but know that life will never stop and it will always be difficult at times, but don't be afraid. The "top" whatever that is for you, may seem unreachable but that is only true if you let fear dictate that. Nothing is unreachable if you keep climbing.

"After climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more to climb."

- Nelson Mandela

Annie

Picture of the sunrise taken from a morning hike up Flat Rock Trail.

Its You......Me....All of Us.

I recently started working at an independent cinema and I am really enjoying my experience so far. Ever since I went and saw a movie their last October I instantly had this feeling that it was a place I wanted to be. After working there for a little over a month I recently was thinking about the impact it has had on my life so far and how in that short amount of time it has given me the opportunity to really think about some issues we face as individuals in our society. 

The Midtown Cinema is located in Harrisburg and one thing I enjoy about working there (besides getting to see movies for free) is the drive to work and walking when I get the chance. Now, let's just say Harrisburg and the area around the cinema, by word of mouth doesn't have the best reputation, but honestly, it is all about people's perception. There have been some people who have told me, "Be careful down there," and "Don't you know about that area." Now I get it, there have been a handful of bad situations take place but what city doesn't have their fair share of problems. So why do I enjoy the driving and walking? Well, it is a time for me to observe and watch the people. I think most people who aren't familiar with the area would say they see old run down buildings, graffiti markings, trash in the streets, and people getting into trouble. When I drive I see, shop owners standing outside waiting for customers, students talking, friends meeting up, and sadly homeless people asking for help. I look beyond all of the other surroundings and find the aspects that are true. I appreciate all of these different observations because to me they are real and I am watching people experience life. They are working to make a living, having social experiences, and some are just trying to get by, so really, what makes them any different from you and me? The answer is nothing. We are all trying to make a life for ourselves and it is sad when we try and take that away from others simply based on perception.

Today our world is full of people judging others and making assumptions before actually learning or experiencing what people and places are all about. Our society is so focused on the negative things happening that we forget to stop and enjoy the positive side of life. Watching the news these days it just seems like one story after the other is depressing and something bad is always happening. Well, I hate to say it, but we only have ourselves to blame.

"We're blaming "society," yet we are society. 

So to make it a better place, we must first change ourselves."

This quote speaks the truth about our world today. Instead of placing the blame why don't we all step up and take responsibility for our own actions and words. We can say it's the government, a certain culture, or religion, but really, it's all of us. Society is supposed to be built on the foundation of community which we just don't have. We go through periods when we gain huge strides as Americans and in the area of social justice but that doesn't give us the right to opt out when things get difficult. Our membership in society shouldn't just be when things are going well because it is during the hard times wen we all need to step up in different ways. 

I don't want you all to think I am calling out our society without recognizing that I place myself in the "Typical American," category. I make assumptions, pass judgements, and when things get hard I look to blame everything but myself, I am just like everyone else. The one thing that is great about admitting to those aspects of myself is I recognize I have the ability to change, if I am open to it. Life shouldn't be lived in the order of opinion then experience bur rather experience than opinion. Now asking people to do that is somewhat impossible because we can't help but have opinions going into certain situations but I would hope we could all be more open minded at times. I understand that people's opinions can sometimes be the same even after the experience which is fine, but then maybe that is the time for us to step up as individuals and help make a difference. Society does have a very big effect on us as individuals but I don't think people realize that we as individuals can have an even bigger effect on society.

Just the other day when I was driving home from work I noticed a homeless guy asking for help and by that I mean money. Now my outlook on situations like this used to be very close minded and negative towards the individuals. Shame on me. We are most often told don't give them money because they will just spend it on alcohol and drugs. Shame on us. I am happy to say I have completely grown out of that outlook and we all should to. There are so many people struggling more than we can even imagine and for us to hold back from helping simply because our perception that every homeless person is a drunk or into drugs is not how we should approach the situation. We don't know why they are in the situation they are in but one thing that is true, we aren't and probably never will be. A lot of us have the job, financial stability, family, and friends who would be there if we needed the help, not everyone is that lucky.

The situation didn't play out like I wanted. As soon as I caught a glimpse of the him I immediately starting fumbling around in my bag for some cash, I literally was holding up traffic before I finally gave in that I didn't have any. I was really upset as I had to keep driving without being able to offer them anything. I just kept thinking I could have made an impact on that person if only I had money with me and because of this situation I have decided to regularly carry cash with me. I feel like in this day in age people are always using credit cards to pay for things and never have actually physical money with them. Well I ask you all to start keeping some with you. Now I know there might be some hesitancy to just willing give some money to someone but just remember it's only paper and the only thing that makes it valuable, really, is the number on it.

At this moment I am very thankful for the opportunity to work at the cinema because it has opened my eyes to how our society, meaning all of us, need to be better. I knew it before but I know it even more now just from my short experience of working there. So what is my hope for us? My hope is that we can all reach a point where we are actively BEING society and aren't just LIVING in it. I want us to be able to accept the good, the bad, stop placing the blame and start accepting responsibility. For everyone to realize that in our world today, closed mindedness will only hold us back from improving upon where we are today. Will we every really make it? Maybe not, we never really know until we start opening our minds to the possibility of change and take that first step to better ourselves. It starts with you....and me....all of us.

Simple acts of kindness can go a long way and so as an opportunity for us all to help make an impact I ask you all find one thing each week you can do to help. Some of you might already do it which is great, keep it up! My act for the week is making a donation to Downtown Daily Bread. It is a soup kitchen in Harrisburg that provides hot meals for the homeless in the city. With the weather getting colder it is vital we make an effort to help those who don't have the ability to provide for themselves. I ask you to find out about a shelter or soup kitchen close to you and do the same. Remember the hardest part is the first step and willingness to open your mind but the impact you can have......so worth the change.

"Never believe that a few caring people can't change the world. 

For, indeed, that's all who ever have." 

- Margaret Mead

Annie

No regrets in life. Just lessons learned.

People don't tell you how hard it is going to be. Some will be honest and won't sugar coat it, but for the most part we are led to think everything will fall into place. I truly believe that one day it will, but what we sometimes are unprepared for is the journey to get there.

My journey started exactly one year and two months from today. Fresh out of college and into the real world I went. Okay for about two months I didn't really have any real plans, I was just trying to enjoy life and I did. After those two months passed I decided it was time to get serious and I needed to figure out what I wanted to do with my life but there was only one problem, I didn't really know. I knew what I enjoyed doing and what I thought would make me happy but do we ever really know until we experience life and take a chance? Well, that is what I decided to do and let me tell you, it hasn't been all sunshine and roses, but it hasn't been all bad either.

I decided to take a job on the East Coast in Pennsylvania, sixteen hours away from my family and friends. Could I really move that far away where I don't know anyone and start a whole new life. Of course I could, why not, the little voice inside my head told me, and I agreed. I still agree to this day but it hasn't come without its struggles. 

So I did it, I moved across the country for my job. The position was what I wanted and it was going to help me get on the right track and figure out my life. Now, part of that is true. I do think a job can assist you in figuring out your life but it shouldn't necessarily determine what the rest of your life is going to be. We should never feel confined to our jobs or feel we have one path to follow which is why we need to take chances and try new things to figure out what is going to make us happy. I enjoy my job and I am learning so much from my experience and yet I still feel like something is missing. Doesn't that sound like the typical person in today's world, always feeling like we have this void to fill instead of living in the moment and taking life one step at a time. We all have this desire to figure out our lives right now and try to rush the process, which is how I approached this last year. I am not going to say I was naive and thought happiness would be instant, but I have been struggling to figure out what will make me happy. I am still working on it but I take comfort in knowing I don't have to know right now but I do need to keep taking chances and living life one moment at a time to figure it out. 

I think something I've always known about myself is I am a people person and I like having my family or a good group of friends, a support system when needed. Part of my struggle this last year was I thought other people could help me be happy and having people around me would fill the void. I learned that is not always true because sometimes the loneliest people are the ones who have a lot of people around them. It is all about surrounding yourself with people who won't make you feel alone but help you feel alive. They will let you be yourself and figure out life for yourself, let you stumble every once in awhile but also being someone to turn to in time of need. I've recently come to the realization that it is sometimes good to be alone, not to be lonely but learn about yourself and what you want out of life. I will always be a people person but it is nice knowing I can be independent of the people around me.

So the questions is, do I regret the decision to take a chance and start this journey I am on? Not one bit. While it may seem like it has been a real struggle, which at times it has, I am learning a lot from it. I don't think we should ever regret any decisions we make in our lives, that is easier to say than actually practice but if we learn from our past struggles that is what is important. We are all on different life journeys and along the way we can learn so much about ourselves if we are open to it. Don't live life in regret because you will miss all the good that life has to offer.

My goal with this blog is to share my life experience and my hope is that readers will find it helpful and maybe find a connection to it. I think as people it is important for us to share what we have gone through because it can let others know they are not struggling alone. I believe on some level we are connected with people we don't even know due to our similar life experiences. I hope you enjoy my posts and feel free to reach out to me with any comments. I am planning on posting every Friday so I look forward to next week.

"I am stronger because I had to be. 
I'm smarter because of my mistakes, 
happier because of the sadness I've known,
and wiser because I learned."


Annie