This past Saturday my dear friend Chickie and I went to Bernheim Forest to kayak on Lake Nevin. That’s me in the picture above, and yes, I really did kayak in the water! :O) As you can see it was a gorgeous fall day. We had so much fun. I had not kayaked for several years and I still have a lot of technique to learn. But kayaking is definitely something I could do more often.

At first the Bernheim volunteer put me in a youth kayak because the adult ones seemed to be unavailable. But as soon as I floated out three feet from the bank of the lake I started to sink! My shorts quickly were saturated with lake water, and then I needed to step out into the lake to get the kayak back on shore. I felt like a kid again, my shoes and socks all wet and having the best time. It was fun to let go of adult stuff and not worry about my shoes and just live in the moment.

So I got to thinking about all this today and I am putting a “Fall Challenge” out to my readers. Do something fun and different outdoors this fall. Change up your routine; take a walk under the Tall Beings, the trees, and hear the leaves crunch under your feet. It’s not hot outside if you live somewhere with cooler temperatures and most likely there are very few bugs out to pester you. Maybe you will turn it into a prayer walk and say thank you and ask for guidance for yourself, and take the opportunity to pray for other beings. Go sit somewhere safe and quiet and watch the birds and simply be still. Plan a small bonfire and snuggle up with your partner and put a little romance in your life! If you don’t have a partner invite a friend over, or children and teenagers and listen to them talk about their lives and their dreams. And remember how fun it is to roast a marshmallow? Yummy! Enjoy the night, the sounds of the crickets and maybe even be lucky enough to sit out under the stars and just breathe it all in. Or perhaps something with a little more exercise involved. Go find you a kayak adventure, or put on your running shoes, or get that bicycle out of the garage. So much fall beauty is waiting for you…running down the streets to meet you if you just push yourself out of your same old same old.

I would love to hear about your fall activities and adventures. Feel free to post them in the comments. Life if good!

c   Love, Joan