Somewhere in the middle of Oregon.

Saturday, March 19, 2011

Cabin Fever

Most of my free time is spent doing something....well....anything outdoors. In the warmer months I'm always puttering through the hills hiking, hunting, or fishing my favorite creek. In the cold and snowy months, I find myself looking like the child in the movie 'A Christmas Story' in hopes of not freezing to death, to find that same adrenalin rush that clean mountain air gives me. A snowboard and a pair of snow shoes are usually my fashion accessories from December through March. If you've never heard the sound of COMPLETE silence and serenity, rent a pair of snowshoes and head for that trail you usually hike in the summer.

Always being able to jump in my Jeep and wander aimlessly in the backwoods has become a habit. One that I now realize I have been taking for granted.

I have spent the last 3 weeks at a children's hospital with my daughter waiting to see IF she would get better, praying that she would be ok, watching her go from a tough little girl who follows me through bear country with no fear, to a small feeble person that couldn't breathe on her own. Her toughness though has earned her a reputation here, and I have watched her go through things no child should have to, handling each a bravely as she could.  She has overcome hellacious obstacles from pneumonia to staff infections..(note the s..she had more than one), even heart surgery, and is finally on the mend.

For those three weeks, nothing else has mattered but her comfort and health, but now that we can see the light at the end of the tunnel, and our minds are beginning to think about what we want to do when we are out of here, and we both have EXTREME CABIN FEVER....Though I could have left, I chose to stay by her side to lessen the fear of being in an environment completely unfamiliar to either of us. (not to mention the fact that the motherly instinct made me want to hover in case I was needed) With the exception of walking to the parking lot on occasion, I have been indoors for almost a month.......I HAVE 'NEVER' NOT BEEN ABLE TO GO OUTSIDE.....

My parents divorced when I was 6 and I moved from my small hick town in the middle of nowhere to the Bay Area of California. (can I just say I am living proof that you can take the girl out of the country, but you can't take the country out of the girl) I lived there with my mom until I was 17, visiting my dad on holidays and during the summers. The time I spent with my dad always seemed to have something to do with the mountains. If we weren't taking my Grandma on a Sunday picnic, we were hiking or driving around spotting deer. When I finally decided that I had had more city than I could take, I moved back home with him and swore I would never take for granted the fact that I was surrounded by the beauty I did not have in the city. Finding anything resembling nature from where we lived in California, was at least a 3 hour drive.

It wasn't until now that I realized....I think I do take for granted that the mountains are a 15 minute drive from home, and I can usually go there whenever I feel like it, but being here has also made me think about how I blog. Though I will always encourage you to try and get out, I also realize everyone's lives are different and there may be reasons you cannot get out as much as you like, or maybe even at all. Whatever reason you may have, at least take the opportunity if it arises, and if you get to a point when life is too crazy and the opportunity never presents itself, go after it. You won't be sorry. Sometimes just a drive to the park full of trees and singing birds can be extremely relaxing, de-stressing, and great mental therapy. Don't take for granted the world around you and the beauty it holds.