When I had those two surgeries on my leg a few years back, my biggest question was, "When can I get out walking again?" The doctor quickly came to realize how much I enjoy walking (the day of the second surgery I scolded him because he was early and I hadn't finished my 10,000 steps yet LOL). When I finally got the go ahead to ditch the crutches and start walking, he put things in my terms. "Five hundred steps a day, Holly. You can added five hundred more steps every day." I was free!
Since then, I've tried to put those steps to good use. One of my daughters and I are trying to visit all 123 State Parks. Some are literally just a visit. There's no real hiking involved. Pennsylvania has a lot of little parks...it's a great way to preserve land and forests. But some are huge tracts of land with amazing trails and sights to behold.
We went to the northern, middle park of the state this weekend and, despite the rainy weather, we went on some lovely hikes! One was down to the bottom of the PA Grand Canyon. It was challenging, but so worth it!
I walked with the group a lot of the weekend, but Sunday morning I got up early, went out in the rain, and hiked up a mountain on my own. I took in the lovely views and found I was thankful the leaves hadn't fully popped because they wouldn't have hidden the broad vista. And as I thought of hidden things, I thought about the book I'm working on. I wanted to capture this quiet moment in the woods in it. I wanted to find a way to write the magic of a misty, spring morning. I weighed and measured words that might paint an accurate picture. I breathed deeply, listened to the springtime bird calls and let my thoughts chase after one another. They moved from one thing to another with no interruptions and no attempts on my part to reign them in.
I'll confess, I love walking with friends and family. We get to catch up and enjoy the world together. But on Sunday morning and here at home, my mornings are for me. I think about my family. I think about the world. I think about books I'm working on. I mull as I take in the sights. Walking has let me learn where I fit into the world. I read the seasons as if they're a book. And while it might seem to be a quiet, solitary walk, it is anything but. Stories ping pong, in amongst the thoughts and memories.
Yes, walking outside leads me to a lot of inner action. Some of those thoughts might enrich a book, some (I hope) will enrich me.
Wishing you some lovely walks this spring!
Holly
PS Sweet Success is Available today for Kindle and KU!
Secret Babies: Second Chances Anthology is. $.99
Something Perfect is one of the stories!
Something Perfect is one of the stories!
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I just got back from a northern, mid-state weekend. We did a lot of hiking and touring in the rain. But as my grandmother used to tell me, I'm not sugar, so I didn't melt. If you haven't been following me on Social Media, my daughter and I are trying to visit all of PA's 123 State Parks. So we rented a house last weekend and, despite the rain, we had a blast visiting nearby parks. We were sad we didn't get to enjoy star-gazing at Cherry Springs State Park. But we're planning to go again someday soon!
It really was a great time. I'm keeping track of the parks with this cool PA State Park board!
might think that talking about Pennsylvania doesn't really have anything to do with Sweet Success, but since most of the books I write are set in the state, even more specifically in my favorite city, Erie, it does!
