by Lisa C. DeLuca

In our twenties my husband became an avid hiker and he took me to the White Mountains in New Hampshire to share with me the joys of being bitten by mosquitoes and tiny black flies that make you bleed and itch for weeks. He showed me how to carry my supplies on my (bad) back, walk on the edge of a terrifying cliff, and sweat so much that my entire body felt like a slip and slide.  All this while trekking so far uphill that it challenged my lungs’ ability to breathe and my heart’s ability to beat. Together we walked up and down steep rocky hills for hours on end until my legs were shaking and I had no idea how they would carry me safely to civilization. Thanks Bob.

Sounds awful right? But I found myself repeatedly wanting to go back for more.

Why? Because what I also experienced on those hikes was the freedom of being deep, deep in the forest and smelling the sweet fragrance of the ferns and the pine needles on the soft forest floor. I felt the joy of coming upon a hidden waterfall and using it to cool and calm me.

Many times on the mountain, deep in the trees, we came upon a family of wood thrushes, a bird that rarely occurs in my home town. To me their song is the most beautiful in all the world. Some of the most joyous moments in my life were coming upon those birds in the quiet woods and having the freedom to stay; to immerse in the hypnotic, other-worldly timbre of their song.

And so many times I stood at the top edge of a giant rock in the clouds and looked down over an entire majestic mountain range, seeing it the way a bird would while flying high in the sky. Hiking increased my physical and mental strength having pushed my body farther than I thought it could go. I gained a level of self-confidence that I never had before.

I can see that hiking taught me lessons on how to get through this global pandemic. Yes, right now I should be in a total panic about the health of my family and friends and our financial circumstances, just like the times I thought I’d collapse on the mountain. But I am not allowing myself to mentally engage those thoughts. I always made it through up and down the mountain, even when I had felt like there was no way. Life finds a way. I think this is going to be similar.

Can you think of times you made it through things you never thought you could? Now may be a good time to remember your resilience and know that you do have it in you.

And like with hiking, I know that there is joy to be had in the midst of all of this suffering. I know that when you take a break on the mountain to drink water, have a snack and rest you become somewhat rejuvenated. So I am finding joy today and spending time feeding my soul. After I do all that I can do to prepare and protect my family’s health and finances, I’m reconnecting with family and ejecting myself out of the house (even though my habit is to remain in) and soaking in the sun on these nice days, and it feels so, so good. I’m walking in the woods – these flat lands of Long Island don’t offer the challenges of the White Mountains but they do offer benefits.

My hope for you is that you are taking time to focus on joyful moments right now, and even creating them for yourself and maybe even for others too. We are in this together and together we will get through. I believe that.