Having been put into 3 of some of the top stressful situations the past 3.5 months:
- Death of My Beloved Husband (now single mom to 4 beautiful children)
- Location Move from Arizona of 8 years to North Dakota,
- Promoted to President and CEO of the Hoverson Brands (aka – Job Change)
Life has been Busy and Different..
Life continues on…
And it can be easy to let it take you with it without it letting you take a moment to breathe and take care of yourself.
You see, I am used to the AZ warm air and being able to be outside pretty much 24/7 during the winter months.
The mind having been trained to have sun and warm weather and only pleasure when going outside, the cool brisk air of North Dakota was a shock to the system.
Its much easier to get the kids off to school, start the fireplace and just dive into work and business day in and day out vs. going outside for a ten minute walk first and then diving into the day.
Not taking a minute to breathe myself, move myself…Take care of myself first before moving into the day.
So recently I told myself that enough is enough.
Get outside and enjoy the beauty, (though different than the warmth that I am used to in the winter months) and most importantly, MOVE the body, not just inside of a gym or via a home workout.
When Mark and I lived here for 3 years back in 2007-2009, we did just that, we did what you could do here locally, which is:
- 1. Skate
- 2. Cross Country Ski
- 3. Snowcat (snowmobiling)
Mark even put studs in his Mountain Bike tires so that he could ride his bike to his office.
Mark believed in the Fresh air to help keep him sane and to help minimize “seasonal depression”.
And now..
I am learning to tap into the same things and to take time for “me” and you know what?
It feels good.
It feels wonderful.
And, it has been a good “bonding” time for me and the kids.
Taking one on one ski adventures through our 11 acres in our backyard down to the ever-winding “Turtle River” which leads to our own skating area on the river which my cousin created with lots of love and shoveling.
At one point today, as my eldest, Isaac and I were skiing, we decided just to lay down in the snow on the river and look up at the sky and talk…really talk…
and it felt happy…
I felt blessed in this winter season of change… and of chills.
And to have my best “non human” friend, “Eve” with me for this adventure makes it all the more happy.
Cheers to a breath of fresh air.
-Shanny
P.S. – Don’t mind the 1960’s Orange “poof daddy” Onsie Snowsuit. I like vintage things, lol.
