This week was a reality check for me. I must figure out my health issues. I experienced extreme mood swings, insomnia, too many bathroom check ins to count and even some crying when on…
My doctor must have accepted a billion new patients in the New Year so getting in to see him is like playing the lottery.
The constant positivity that helped me this week was from my husband Ron and from the Great Outdoors. When I felt my lowest and most frustrated a walk at nearby Lake Chabot seemed to make my worries go away. It’s a man made lake that is a hidden treasure in my opinion. The dam was built around the 1900s. There’s oak, manzanita, eucalyptus and redwood tres nestled within valleys and canyons full of towering California Laurel. It’s heaven to me. Today my husband and I were up early to try a trail run that goes around the 14 mile lake.
We set off and began our adventure. As we hit mile 6 we found ourselves in a new world filled with various kinds of fern, turkey tail mushrooms and blooming columbine. We felt so far removed from the world, surrounded by nature. I felt alive and good.
My husband and I began running half marathons a few years ago. We usually train on road, around city streets. So trying this trail was exciting for us as it was something a little different. The trail was not paved, consisted of dirt and rocks, branches and lots of poison oak. One thing that struck us as different were the attitudes of each trail runner we encountered. Typically, my husband and I always say hello to walkers and runners on our normal routes when we are out. Most people reply back, some look the other way and some pretend they don’t see or hear us.
Today on the trail, the runners were exuberant! Happy to see us and share what a beautiful day it was! This was the experience as we passed every trail runner! It was great! This motivated us to run further and share with other trail runners the enthusiasm we also had for such a beautiful day.
It created a steady stream of goodness for the rest of our run.

Here a a few pictures I took on our run. If you are ever in the Bay Area, check Lake Chabot and other East Bay Parks out. They are seriously good for the soul. 😀
Have a great week!