I'm Back

I did it! I'm back!!! After almost exactly two months, I'm back! Well, at least partially. The photos you see on today's post are brand new! This is because I was able to go on a very short hike the other day! Can you see how excited I am by all the exclamation points?

I'm going to attempt to take you through my little adventure, but my mind is still mostly in fiction writing mode. Writing fiction is actually quite a bit different than what I write here. It takes a different mindset, and it is much more difficult. Both methods are satisfying in their own way though. Anyway, here's what happened on my walk.

Driving to this place is a short trip for me, so I can do that, but not as often as I'd like yet. I had already decided to be careful and take things slow. I knew I had to turn around as soon as I began to feel anything odd. And with those thoughts I got out of my new Jeep and entered the trail.

The first thing I noticed was that everything looked much different than the last time I was out here. Back then it was late summer, and the leaves on the trees were full and green. Now they are a dull brown and they're falling to the ground. This wasn't too surprising, but it was still a bit of a shock.

Unlike many people, I'm not the biggest fan of the fall season. In the depths of my mind it represents a form of death, or at least a deep slumber. I think of it as the end of nature for the year. Logically I know that's not true. But as much as I try, I still can't change that feeling.

But I have to tell you, seeing those fall leaves and being able to walk into that red and brown forest was one of the most beautiful and wonderful experiences I've had in a very long time. I felt free once again! I haven't been able to have this old familiar feeling in far too long. If anything can change my deep down opinion of fall, it must be this.

As I got deeper into the forest I realized that below my neck everything seems to feel as good as ever now. But my head was throbbing just a bit, which I was very conscious of. I knew I was going to have to be careful.

At right about the halfway mark to the back of the park I was greeted by a familiar face. It was a happy little fox squirrel! He stopped on the side of a tree and just clung there and stared at me. A squirrel was the last animal I had seen before the car accident. And now a squirrel was the first animal I had seen on my first hike back. As much as I talk about them it seems so very appropriate.

Shortly after my meeting with my little friend I began to feel something familiar in my head. The pain was coming back, along with a fogginess of consciousness that all told me it was time to turn back. This was the first time I've been out with these feelings, and it wasn't pleasant at all. It was like being in a bad dream.

I had to slow my pace quite a bit, but I knew I was fine enough to make my way back to my Jeep. The farther along I went, the more I stumbled as if I were drunk. I had to be very careful, but I also learned exactly what I was capable of for now.

I made it back to the Jeep okay. And don't worry. I never took a big risk. I had a cellphone with me, and I also had someone waiting for me at the front of the park. For something like this I made sure I had a big safety net to work with. I'll only go back alone when I absolutely know I can do it.

This very short hike was a huge step in my return. I know I still can't hike or blog every day yet. I still have to rest more than anything else, and even be careful not to think too much. But this was a beginning. I now am pretty sure that my head injury is the only thing still holding me back. And maybe more hikes like this one will help with that.

All I kept thinking throughout this short hike was that I'm back. I'm back!


Nature Center Magazine - Today I have for you another in the great collection of some of the best nature videos on the internet.