EXERCISING

In a couple of hours I'm going to go and hike Badger, a 3.2 mile 1,000 vertical foot trail not far from where I live. It will have me huffing and puffing several times on the way up and I must admit that I love the going down better. It takes me more than an hour to complete the trail with a five minute rest at the top to enjoy the view.

Exercise has really become a key component to my daily routine. Four days of the week I go on a hike or go to the gym. (I take Wednesdays off to run errands, mow the lawn, and the like. ) Our gym is also near where we live and is only $30 a month for both my husband and myself. Investing the $360 a year into our health is one of the smartest investments we make. Now that the weather is nice I trade the gym for outdoor hikes.

To months ago we took a trip to southern Argentina and Chile to hike in the Patagonia Andes (pictures above). I know I would have never been able to take some of the fabulous hikes we went on if I hadn't done the amount of physical preparation at the gym and taking smaller treks.

Gardening

I have a vegetable garden. Gardening, raising at least some of your own food, is one of my cornerstones for a simple life. I feel calm and connected even thinking about a garden. I remember years ago when I lived in an apartment fantasizing about rows of corn, tomatoes, and bean. It was my "go to your happy place" place.
Today I work and play in my garden from mid-March , when I plant seeds under the grow light, to the end of October, when the garlic sets go under ground.
At the moment my pea plants are a couple inches high, the planting is done, and I'm in the process of hardening-off the tomatoes and peppers. Now I wait, not necessarily patiently, for the beets or the carrots to show that they are actually in the rows that I planted. Then I'll probably run over to the bed where I planted the beans to see if they are up knowing full well that I only sowed the bean seeds last week.
It will be a couple of months before I'll be dining on a meal of my own vegetables. I can hardly wait.

Wanting

Wanting, sometimes I have a real yen for something for me it's usually a gizmo like my GPS I bought last summer. I love my NUVI so please don't take it away.
At the moment I'm thinking an IPAD would be a great thing to have. It's so light and I could take it on trips. I think I might want one and if the reviews come out favorably and if the price drops I might get one.
Come to think of it I think I want a new washer & dryer. The ones I currently have are 17 years old. The dryer takes forever to dry clothes. It would make sense from an energy point of view to get new appliances.
Then there is a pair of shes I want that goes with the dress I bought for my daughter's wedding shower. They really aren't that expensive and how often does your daughter get married.
It's Saturday and tonight we've been invited to go with a group of friends for dinner and drinks. I haven't seen them in awhile and it sounds like it would be a lot of fun. Everyone is going and I want to go.
I need to run a bunch of errands later. I know I'll want to stop at the coffee stand and get a latte. I deserve it with all the running around I'll be doing.
My wantings are all valid, the dollar amounts aren't that large, we can certainly afford them. After all my husband is downstairs on the computer ordering some material to fix a hatch cover on his sailboat. It probably will cost more than all my wants put together, excluding the washer/dryer but they're really a necessity. He's bragging that he's saving money doing it himself. I am wondering if it isn't just a cosmetic fix and if the didn't have a boat there would be no expense. Oh well! he wanted a sailboat and he works hard at his job.
I could want a new car or even a larger house but I'm quite content with my big house and late model vehicle. I don't want to go on an expensive vacation anytime in the near future, especially since we just got back from South America a few weeks ago.
I tell myself that I want very little and appreciate the simple life. And I'm wanting to believe that it's true.