“I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.”
― L. M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables
October is my favourite month. The air gets crisp, the leaves turn, and everything smells just so… There’s a last burst of energy from the Natural world, just before so many things go to sleep for the year. It’s the time of year I get to pull out my leather jacket, go for long walks with a dog or two and a warm cup of tea and contemplate the year that’s passed, and the months to come.
This year October FLEW by. With work, school, training for my first 9k and duties with the local Alpine Club, my calendar was full. So full that when a speaking engagement I had booked ended up being postponed due to an issue with the venue, I was glad to have the extra time to pull together the presentation, and to have the evening to myself.
This year wasn’t what I’d planned for it to be, but in so very many ways, it was exactly what I needed. I’ve gained confidence in my day-to-day work. I’ve started on an educational trajectory that will benefit both my career path AND my aspirations in the mountains. I took control of past traumas with a lot of work, and the help of a good therapist. I sustained injury, but also (eventually) put myself on a path to recovery. And I did SO MUCH hill training, solving an issue with my chosen sport that’s plagued me since I decided to leave “the Saskatchewan of Ontario.”
This next year brings new challenges – the most relevant being two specific high points I plan to reach, and a potential trip to Europe…
As October makes it’s exit, I celebrate my 45th turn around the sun. Here’s to becoming more comfortable in my own skin, to following intuition over logic, and living My best life. Here’s to Me, being My. 🙂