New Year's Day 2017

Last year my blog revolved around finding something to be happy or thankful for.  This year I have goals and plans that I have decided to write about.  In the next few months I am going to attempt to empty my home, sell my home, exercise, write, and prepare to hike the Appalachian Trail starting this spring.  Oh, and continue to work full-time plus for at least the next 2 months while doing these things.  It is a high bar to reach.  I may fail.  I have a huge support system though and no words can express how thankful I am for these people in my life.  My daughter will be working hard to help me downsize, almost completely.  My son is going to hike with me, at least part of the way.  I have friends and family that are willing to help me make some repairs on the house to help it sell.  People who want to join me for at least part of the time on the trail, a weekend or week just to get a glimpse.
There are also those who think I am foolish and doing this on a whim.  This is not a whim.  I am well aware that I am not as prepared as I should be right now.  I have read books, watched movies and YouTube videos and do have a notion of what it will be like.  I have talked with a few others who have already gone.  This is something that has been a spark since I was a small child.

That is me in the pink about 50 years ago with my 2 brothers and Mom.  Okay, maybe the spark isn't from quite that long ago.  😉  If I had to guess I would say more than 40 years ago is when I learned that this trail existed and wanted to do it ever since.  Truth is, I have been a wimp and let fear rule most of my life in one way or another.  I want to continue to fear the bear and rattle snake, but not let fear of these creatures (or other things) run the rest of my life.  

Just in case you stumbled upon this blog by accident, a little about me...

Family:

A few weeks ago I celebrated my 52nd birthday with my daughter, her husband and their 4 year old son, Gideon, my grandson. We live in New England.  My son is living in Kansas.  Their father and I have been divorced for about 14 (?) years.  I had a long term relationship after that which ended over a year ago.  He has a daughter and a grandson that live far away and I am not as close with them as I would have liked.  My parents are both deceased.  I have 2 older brothers (see the picture above) and nieces and nephews and I am close with some of my cousins.  My father was the youngest of 10 so I have quite a few cousins.  And there is Hunter, my dog.  He will be 11 this month, I think, and will not be up to doing the whole trail with me.  Dogs are not allowed on all parts of the trail, but he has some health issues and I will be finding others to care for him while I am gone.  

Hobbies:

My children and I enjoy participating in the SCA.  Some things I enjoy include family, weaving, embroidery, sewing and other needle crafts, archery, reading/listening to audio books, games, taking pictures and walking.  I don't claim to be really good at the things I like.  😊  The last year, since being on my own, work has been the driving force of my life.  There has been very little of the things I like.  This year I hope to change that.  This last year writing my happy blog also became a fun hobby.

Home:

My home has become a wreck.  I have had no time or inclination to do much with it.  It was my parents and I have some of there stuff here as well as my own, the ex-boyfriend's, and other family members who have passed away, in my house.  There are also miscellaneous half finished renovations.  The entire thing is completely overwhelming.  My daughter and I will be finding other homes for all the accumulated stuff and my life will be downsized.  If a profit can be made, my house will be sold.  I will embark on the adventure of a lifetime and my home will become a tent as I hike the entire Appalachian Trail.  I want to take my time and still do the whole thing this year.  I expect it to be a life changing experience.

This blog will be my journal leading up to the hike.  I plan to write every night about something that I did to help prepare.  This could be exercise or house work or reading-something every day until I set off on my hike.  Each entry will end with something I am happy or thankful for.  When I am on the trail, I will begin a new blog.  As internet will be an intermittent luxury it won't be a daily update like I plan for this.  I will keep a journal and update as often as I can.

All that said, today started horribly with many little things going wrong and aggravating me.  I will not let that set the tone for the rest of the year.  This is only a day.  After work I made myself go on a short walk with my dog, Hunter.  That walk and this blog are what I have done today for prep.  There is quite a lot of planning going on in my head.  Much of that will be written down soon.  Not today.  Sleep is calling me.  Tomorrow I will be putting in a very long day at work.

My happy for today is this blog.  Last year's blog was all about finding something happy and it has become a companion of sorts for me.  I am thankful for it.  When I am having the anxious, stressful day I think about writing something happy and try to look at things different.  Now, by incorporating my hike into the blog I am forcing that to the forefront of my life as well.  This is a good thing.