Hiking in the time of COVID 19

Since shelter in place started (for our area) on March 18th, I have avoided the trails. My walking has been on the streets of Media, Havertown, and Swarthmore. I've done so much walking around Media, I'm surprised I haven't worn down a visible path.

I've stayed away from the hiking trails in the woods because there is not enough room to pass at a CV19-safe distance unless one wants to hop off the trail into the brush. And that's not an option for many reasons not the least of which is that I am highly allergic to poison ivy, oak, sumac, etc. It's a risk I take every time I go into the woods but I do try to be careful.

Earlier this week, I decided to attempt this hike. I chose Ridley Creek State Park because it's close to home, I love it, and the hiking trails cross the multi use trail enough that if I felt uncomfortable I could hop off the trail and get back to my car that way. What could go wrong, right? (Stay tuned)

I wore my  mask. There appears to be debate about whether a mask is necessary outdoors. I'll admit that I don't always wear it when walking the streets of my neighborhood although I do have it ready to pop on if I see that I'm coming up on others. Truth be told I probably should wear it more regularly. On the trails at the park, though, I put it on and left it on the entire time. I didn't want to fumble with on-off-on-off.

Wearing a mask does increase the risk of dehydration sooner so I made a point of drinking often. I was able to get my hydration tube under the mask easily enough to drink. Once or twice at the end  of an uphill climb I had to stop and settle my breathing. That was probably a mix of the mask and that I haven't done a lot of climbing lately. All in all though the mask did not take away from my enjoyment of the trail. Not one bit.

The park and the trail was crowded. I started out at 7:15 am! I have never seen the parking lot (I was at area #9) that crowded that early in the morning. I'm not sure how much of the crowding was folks fighting quarantine fatigue or if is normal for June at the park. I often visit Ridley Creek in winter and spring. It occurred to me that by summer I am off to farther away trails because there is enough daylight to drive 1.5 to 2 hours and still get in a good hike before dark. So perhaps the crowds are normal for June.

So CV19 gave me an experience I've rarely, if ever, had. Seeing the park in June. I must say it was glorious. Green and lush and full of sound. 💖💖💖

I did pass a lot of people on the trail - both hikers and runners. All but a very few had masks either already on or pulled on as we approached. For the few times I approached a mask-less person, I simply stepped to the side as best I could and turned my back to trail. That felt awkward at first since on the trail I've often come across some of the friendliest people I've ever met and now I felt rude. But I decided it was a necessary evil. No one was outwardly put off by it.

If you are still with me - thank you and here's the thing that went wrong. It's funny and embarrassing really. I hiked the White Trail Loop out of area #9. In recent trips I have started from Area #16 for a change of pace. I decided to change the pace back today. Well the pace changed a little too much and I missed a turn. How many times have I hiked this park and this trail specifically? Missing a turn is ridiculous. But there I was moving along and all of sudden realizing this looks a lot like the Yellow Trail where RCSP back up to Tyler Arboretum. It not only looked that way, it was. I had no need to finish in a hurry so I backtracked to the turn I missed.

The embarrassing part is the turn I missed was where the trail folks had place a significantly sized rock with the word TRAIL in big letters on the side and a large white arrow on the top pointing out the turn. I've often come to that spot and thought, "Well, no one is going to miss THAT turn". (insert laughing eye roll here). I was just having too much fun to notice this time.

Keep Smiling Keep Moving.
- Paula

What do terms like systemic racism, microaggression and white fragility mean?

I appropriated the title of this post from an article written by Halimah Abdullah and published on abc.go.news. I recommend reading Halimah Abdullah's article. More than that, I challenge you to read it and then reflect on your understanding of the terms. For me, the examples provided by the author paired with the definitions helped to bring clarity to the words and their meaning. I realized that I had a decent (not excellent) grasp of some of them and was misunderstanding others.

If I, a white person, is to be an ally I have a lot of work to do on many levels. I have to understand much more about who I am and the ways that I contribute to racism. Implicit bias is real. If I am going to confront racism in my life, in my work, or in my communities, I need to understand the terminology. Otherwise my words are just lip service.

Words matter. The meanings of the words matter more. If Merriam-Webster can admit to not being done with the learning, so can I. The editors at Merriam-Webster listened when Kennedy Mitchum, demonstrated that their definition of racism was incomplete leading some to point to the definition as proof that they were not part of the problem.

The dictionary story highlights the need to be critical of our sources of information. So I did some Internet research on Halimah Abdullah in an effort to support my acceptance of her definitions. I could not find any personal website. I did find numerous references to her as a respected journalist and author. Here's one. In the end I decided that, as a woman of color, her words carry the weight of lived experiences.

Keep Smiling Keep Moving (and Keep Learning)
-Paula

Joy

Yesterday was a day of events that will be conspicuous in history.

Violent protests broke out in major cities (including our own Philadelphia) over the May 25th death of George Floyd. "(Mr. Floyd), 46, died after being arrested by police outside a shop in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Footage of the arrest on 25 May shows a white police officer, Derek Chauvin, kneeling on Mr Floyd's neck while he was pinned to the floor." [detail taken from BBC News report]

Also yesterday, 2 astronauts launched to the International Space Station. For the first time in almost 10 years, astronauts left from US soil to the ISS. And they did so on a vehicle developed and built by a private rocket company.

And still affecting life around the globe - the Coronavirus.

I struggled with the juxtaposition of these events. I was (am) so excited about the launch; the happening of it and what it can mean for the future of space travel and for our world. At the same time, I was acutely aware of the violence happening in my own and other cities around the country; and what it says about who we (still) are. 😢 Personally, I felt like an emotional yo-yo. I finished the day at the low point. Somehow it felt wrong to be happy about anything.

I woke up without the energy to take a long walk I had planned. The sunshine and bright blue skies, though, called me out.

I have to admit now that part of my depression last night was concern that others would see me as nothing more than a 'Pollyanna' - and not in a good way. 

As I walked this morning, taking in the beauty all around me, I thought myself out of my funk. I slowly but surely came to the realization that it's OKAY to feel joy amidst the chaos, confusion and crud of the world. Being joyful doesn't mean one is oblivious to other things. Taking joy in happy things or good news, is a conduit for the positive energy needed to deal with the chaos. It gives me energy to find ways to educate myself about my place in, and responsibility for, the white fragility that fuels the injustices in the world. It's going to take a lot of energy to work on that and make a difference. 

So, to anyone else who is feeling lost in an emotional roller coaster (today or anytime), I'd like to say that it IS okay to Keep Smiling and Keep Moving. 

-Paula 

Freedom

I've been thinking about the meaning of freedom lately.

As we navigate the world according to COVID-19, the notion of Freedom seems to crop up everywhere. Many of us have lost our freedom. Freedom to come and go as we please. Freedom to eat out. Freedom to do what we want; where we want; when we want.

I agree with, and fully embrace, the logic behind quarantine. I do believe it has and will continue to save lives. Yes, staying home is a reminder of what's out there and it's scary to ponder that. The anxiety must be dealt with and that's not fun, either. But anxiety and fear were part of our lives before COVID-19 too. Maybe in varying degrees for each of us, but anxiety and fear are not new to the human condition.

When all is said and done, what's new for so many of us is not having a choice. 

BUT - when COVID-19 is over (whatever that means) I will get my freedom back. It's unlikely to be a return to life as I knew it but I will, for the most part, have the freedom to do what I want, where I want and when I want. 

One of the things I think about lately when I think about freedom - one of the things I am trying to keep reminding myself - is that I'm one of the lucky ones. I will get my freedom back. Some people won't. Some people's lives and livelihoods are being irreparably changed or damaged from COVID-19. And worse yet, some people never had the freedoms I have in the first place. 

In a recent post on Success, I concluded that success in the battle of COVID-19 (for me) is finding ways to make it less messy and less uncomfortable. My thoughts on freedom don't change that. I have battles to fight and stuff to manage during COVID-19 and my goal is still less messy and less uncomfortable. My thoughts on freedom, though, make me realize I could be a little less whiny about it.

Stay safe
Keep Smiling and Keep Moving.
-Paula 

My Spot

Yesterday marked 8 weeks and half a day that I’ve been working from home.

Shelter in place orders came fast and furious in late March for Pennsylvanians. Each day another area would be shut down. We had only a day’s notice that Delaware and Chester counties were shutting down. So, on Friday, March 20th I was in the office with a skeleton crew of co-workers (for half a day) to close-up and move home.

I have never been a fan of work from home.  After 8 weeks of compulsory work from home, I’ve come to terms with it, but it will never be my go-to choice. So, on that last Friday, I obsessed (surprise surprise) over what to bring home. I prefer to work AT work for many reasons, but one big one is that all my ‘stuff’ is there. My space is there. I have nothing against cloud space. I use it for things that it makes sense to me to use it for. But when it comes right down to it, I’m a paper and pencil person.

I’m pleased to report that I packed wisely. Although I have returned to the office three times since closure it was for the purpose of picking up mail and to perform printer, copier and scanner tasks that our little home devices could not handle. Not once did I have to go to the office because I forgot something. And everything I brought home fit in one box.

I also prefer to work AT work because I like to have a space between work and home. There was a time when I brought work home regularly. I eventually discovered that it was too easy to lose the space between work and home. I had to break the habit. It was hard but I did it. And it was good.

And then COVID 19 came.

I knew I had to find a way to keep the space between work and home. I did several things from always wearing shoes during work time to taking walks to mark the changeover from home to work and back home. The most important issue was choosing my workspace. I chose a spot in our living room. For the past 8 weeks, I would only sit in that spot for work hours. Although I packed up my space at the end of every workday, I refused to sit there in the evenings or on the weekends. I needed the separation. On the very few times that my boss asked me to take care of something after hours, I would return to the work space to do it. (Thankfully, my boss understands the need for the separation. But COVID 19 has wreaked havoc in our industry and sometimes stuff just can’t wait until morning.)

Yesterday, I moved my work from home space.

I had chosen the first spot because it was out of the way. And also because the (perhaps) logical place, the dining room table, was occupied by a jig saw puzzle. We finished that puzzle. It was a ridiculously challenging one we had started in December. Next up was a 2000-piece puzzle. We had never attempted one that big before and it required bringing another table in to hold all the pieces. The extra table is a folding table that we only bring out for Canadian Thanksgiving and I forget it’s there otherwise. Now that it was on my radar again I realized that if I could figure out where to set it up, I could use it for my ‘desk’. Well except for the fact that it was now covered in puzzle pieces.

This week we had enough of the puzzle together that all the unplaced pieces fit on the dining room table with the puzzle. We moved the folding table into a corner of the living room and yesterday I set up my workspace there. At the end of the day everything goes back in my box and the table folds down. It works!!

Best of all, I now have my weekend chair back. The first workspace took over my weekend chair. It may have made sense at the time but I underestimated how much I would miss my spot. I’m sitting there as I type this, and it is amazing how something so trivial as having your spot back can boost your mood!! I have a whole new appreciation for Sheldon “you’re in my spot” Cooper.

Keep Smiling Keep Moving
- Paula