No social media, I am off facebook!

 

Last week I was kicked off Facebook. The night before that happened, I had written in my diary how tired of social media I was, how doom scrolling was starting to overtake my life. For the first time ever, I was letting political posts truly upset me, to the point I would get off the social media app in a bad mood. I would share some political post and people would argue with me, mostly by saying the person mentioned is not a person worth listening to. Or, I would be told I don’t understand the bigger picture. One person said I should pray to see the actual truth, and not to trust “mainstream” media. When a person discredits actual information by calling the presenter “mainstream media” I don’t really know how to respond. We can’t trust them to tell us what is actually happening because they are professionals and their job is to report the news? It’s a version of “never trust the experts” that people who don’t vaccinate, or don’t trust science research like to use. It worries me and I am at a loss to know how to respond. The thing about experts is they can be verified. 

Anyway, in my diary, on the same page, I wrote how I was beginning to hate facebook, I was tired of the control it had on my life.  The next day I wrote the following:

“Last night I got on facebook and saw my account had been blocked. Someone else had tried to log in. I don’t know my password and my email address has changed since I joined facebook years ago. So, I went outside with my coffee and the dog. It was chilly, 38 degrees and beautiful. The early sunshine lit up the lawn and the pine trees behind our yard. The dog is so happy she ran in circles, faster and faster. She ran with a long stick, dropped it, and ran even faster. It was beautiful and fun. Maybe I won’t fix facebook, it has ruled my life too long.”

Earlier I watched the President’s speech to Congress, but I couldn’t take, both his blustering “look how good I am” and how rotten the world is after the evil Biden and radical dems destruction of our “very beautiful country.”  When he started demonizing teachers for their radial agendas I had to walk out of the room. I remembered my dad mentioning the Wildflower hiking group, which is a mother and daughter hiking the AT. The joy they reflected, the exhaustion and the cold, as well as the love of nature and of each other, all these things warmed my heart and improved my mood. The daughter kept trying to make snow balls out of the dry Georgia snow. She tossed one at the camera, and I laughed with them. I can focus on the things that upset me, or I can enjoy nature, hiking and family fun in my own life. The videos reminded me of the enjoyment my kids and I have for simple adventures. 

My walking was very slow this week. My husband had shoulder surgery, and most of my time has been involved with taking care of him and things around the house. I walked around the neighborhood, and totaled 9 1/2 miles in one week. This is the same amount of miles an actual AT hiker would  do on a slow day on the trail. It looks like I would be close to Standing Indian Shelter, another place I have day hiked when I lived in GA. 

I have been reading lots of books, and I recommend Louise Penny, Braiding Sweetgrass and Serviceberry by Robin Wall Kimmerer, and Read Dangerously by Azar Nafisi.  The last book shows how we can learn so much through reading. We can develop empathy for others, understanding how people reach decisions, why they feel and think the way they do, and how destructive thinking can lead us to some bad places. She lists so many books as worth reading, more than I will ever have time for. Some I have already read, like Fahrenheit 451, Between the World and Me, and others I want to read like works by James Baldwin,  and Toni Morrison. We were put on this earth to grow and learn, to help others and to make the world a better place. Books help us to learn and then do these things.  Have fun, walk, read and hope for a better world!

New Trail and New State in the pretend hike

 

Today is March1st, and what a beautiful warm day it is. The sky is blue, the temperature is around 60 degrees and the wind is low but steady, a perfect day to walk. These last weeks I have walked at the park where I recycle. This park only has ball fields and a playground, so I've actually been walking in the neighborhoods that surround the park, which is fine. I enjoy walking along looking at the yards and porches, seeing the plants chosen by the homeowners and imagining the views each house enjoys. Views are important. We have purchased and lived in 5 different homes, and each time we house hunt I check out the views and the yard before the kitchen, baths or anything else.

The last time I walked at that park I decided to explore the area by car. I drove down the road by the park, and came to a dead end of the paved road. The path continued on gravel, but I wasn’t sure I was allowed down the gravel road so I returned home. The very next day I was playing tennis and my partner asked if I had walked on the Priceville trail. I had no idea we had a trail. It turns out the gravel road I was afraid to drive on leads to a dirt road many people hike, drive, and bike on. It is part of the Wheeler Wildlife Sanctuary. Today my son and I drove the short 3 miles from our house, only one right turn, and parked on the gravel road. The dog joined us, off leash, and happily running ahead, coming back, sniffing the grass and running ahead again. The trail, or dirt road, passes along between corn fields, the dried stalks left behind over the winter. We walked, and were passed by a red truck, kicking up some dust. The path led down close to the Tennessee River and stopped, but before the river another road continued to the right. We walked in silence. Joseph is one of those people that isn’t bothered by silence, he doesn’t expect to be entertained with small talk. We chat when we have something interesting to say, and don’t when we want to just walk and think. He makes a good hiking partner.  A couple of more trucks drove by, down to the river and then back up to the right turn and on out of sight. We walked, and looked at the trees, the fields, the birds and the path. I love hearing my feet crunch on the rocks and gravel as we walk. We passed lots of privet, growing between the road and the fields. I had read that Privet is the most invasive plant species in Alabama, and on this walkway it was everywhere. A bicyclist passed us, then a dirt bike. We watched a red tail hawk fly along the trees, then land on a branch. Four men jogged by, each accompanied by a jogging dog. The four men and four dogs passed us by, and we continued. 

We came to a metal bridge over a stream.  Our dog refused to pass over. I’m not sure if it was being able to see through or the uncomfortable pattern of metal, but she wouldn’t cross. We turned back, and slowly made our way to the car.

I walked almost 18 miles during the last week, for a total this year of 82.12 miles. That places me on the AT in North Carolina, my home state! I am excited about that. Right now I am not in familiar territory, but soon I will be on sections of the trail I have walked before. If I were on the AT it would be extremely cold right now. Lots of hikers end up in Georgia, NC and TN during the coldest time of the year, and they miss the absolute beauty of the NC mountains. In late spring these trails are covered in trillium, may apples, blooming azalea, rhododendron, and so much more. I am still watching hikers that post their journey on YouTube, and right now the landscape is barren, wintery and cold. The bare trees allow a hiker to enjoy the mountain views, and winter birds are easier to see. Winter hiking is fun, There are no mosquitos, and no humidity and heat. The sections of the AT in NC and TN are high in elevation and can be extremely cold, and a hiker needs to be prepared with cold rated sleeping bags and warm clothing. I am glad I actually hiked these areas in warmer seasons.