blissful hiker ❤︎ inspiring you to hike your own hike

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Blissful's Great-grandma Emma used to say, "Life may be short, but it’s also wide."

• It’s a shift in perspective – from focusing on limitations to exploring possibilities, from dwelling on obstacles to finding creative detours.
• It would take walking the entire length of New Zealand on the Te Araroa for her to understand what Emma was talking about. 
• The first lesson came in taking the risk to just go and do this thing – even in middle age –leaning into the unknown.
• Risk taking is good for us not because it promises a perfect life, but because it widens the journey ahead of us.  

MUSIC: "Poema del Pastor Coya" by Angel Lasala as played by Alison Young, flute and Vicki Seldon, piano. 

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When everything goes sideways and you’re having a bad day, repeat the mantra to not quit today but instead give yourself the self-love, the break, the reset to get back on track.

• We have a saying in the hiker community, "Never Quit on a Bad Day."
  
  
• It’s a reminder that it’s a good idea to hold off on making major decisions when things get tough and instead give yourself space to get some perspective. 
  
  
• On day 100 of the Te Araroa, New Zealand's long trail, Blissful Hiker hits a wall, sitting down to cry and consider quitting. But once she lets it all hang out, she realizes how silly she sounds and laughs at herself. 
  
  
• Laughing at yourself is one of the best tools in a resilient person's toolbox, because it keeps us from being narcissistic. 
  
  
• When we have a bad day, instead of asking, "Why me?" we can ask "What now?" and get on with what needs to be done. 

MUSIC: "Poema del Pastor Coya" by Angel Lasala as played by Alison Young, flute and Vicki Seldon, piano. 

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Walking through woodland ephemerals in early spring reminds us to embrace impermanence and stay present in the here and now. 

• We have a saying in the hiker community, “Be Where Your Feet Are.” 
  
  
• It’s all about staying present in the moment and not dwelling too much on the past or worrying about the future. To “be where your feet are” quite literally encourages us to stay grounded. 
  
  
• On an early spring hike through woodland wildflowers, Blissful Hiker considers the ephemeral quality of our own lives and it makes her appreciate even more the experience of walking with friends in this beauty. 

MUSIC: "Introduccion y Allegro" by Carlos Gaustavino as played by Alison Young, flute and Vicki Seldon, piano. 

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Hiking has a way of making us more resilient, not so much manifested as strength and persistence, but in developing trust and embracing the unknown.

• We have a saying in the hiker community, “The Trail Will Provide.” 
  
  
• It signifies the aid and assistance hikers encounter on trail, encouraging trust and faith that things will work out.
  
  
• On a section hike of the Continental Divide Trail, Blissful encounters a miracle and realizes that allowing the trail to provide is part of successfully walking a long trail and also living life too. 

MUSIC: "Poema del Pastor Coya" by Angel Lasala as played by Alison Young, flute and Vicki Seldon, piano. 

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On October 10, Blissful gave her first TEDx talk, “How do you find your bliss? Take the long trail!”

• Blissful shares the loss of her flute career due to a neurological disorder called dystonia. 
• It was on trail that she began to heal – and her greatest teacher on learning to live with her loss and move forward into the unknown. 
• Blissful's talk is about resilience in spite of life's inexplicable randomness.
• Watch the TEDx and see some jaw-dropping images as well!

MUSIC: Introduccion y Allegro by Carlos Guastavino as played by Alison Young, flute and Vicki Seldon, piano. 

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WATCH TEDx

On October 10, Blissful gave her first TEDx talk about Resilience as part of TEDX AmoskeagMillyard in Manchester, New Hampshire.
 
What is a TED talk??

• TED stands for Technology, Entertainment and Design and was founded in 1984 to showcase the "most interesting people on earth and let them communicate their passion."
• The tagline is "ideas worth spreading."
• The talks are short (under 18 minutes) and all memorized, given on a red dot of a carpet in front of a live audience, filmed for later broadcast. 
• I was recommended for this particular organization, but needed to apply and convince those in charge that I was the best person to share this idea. 
• Blissful's talk is about resilience in spite of life's inexplicable randomness. You'll come along with her on trail as she lets go of her flute career and meets another Blissful Hiker named Beethoven.

MUSIC: Introduccion y Allegro by Carlos Guastavino as played by Alison Young, flute and Vicki Seldon, piano. 

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Taking a class this weekend, Blissful learns about the key skills of a good teacher. 
 
This was especially important when she needed to face down an irrational fear of falling out of her kayak and being upside down in the water. 

Here are some of those skills:

1. Positive Learning Environment.
2.  Encourage Risk Taking. 
3.  Provide Feedback and Guidance
4. Promote a Growth Mindset 

Just wanting to get better and do something out of our comfort zone isn't enough. Sometimes we need guide who possessed strong leadership and teaching skills.

Blissful will give her first TEDx talk this October in Manchester, New Hampshire! The subject is "Stepping into the Unknown." Get tickets here. Use coupon code "WILD" for a discount!

MUSIC: Introduccion y Allegro by Carlos Guastavino as played by Alison Young, flute and Vicki Seldon, piano. 

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On the Teton Crest Trail in Wyoming, Blissful decides to go for an "SKT" (Slowest Known Time) and surprises abound.

1. John Muir (and Henry David Thoreau) hated the word "hike" and preferred to saunter, entering beautiful natural places with reverence.

2. Physiologists tell us that walking at a turtle's pace releases endocannabinoids a kind of "persistence high" that elicits a state of euphoria.

3. But most important, going slow and leaving plenty of time allows us to simply exist and enjoy – explore off-trail, enjoy sights like a bull moose, pikas,  and wildflowers, and nab the best campsites!

Blissful will give her first TEDx talk this October in Manchester, New Hampshire! The subject is "Stepping into the Unknown." Get tickets here. Use coupon code "WILD" for a discount!

MUSIC: Introduccion y Allegro by Carlos Guastavino as played by Alison Young, flute and Vicki Seldon, piano. 

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On the Pyrenean Haute Route, an oafish American hiker questioned Blissful's ability to manage a route of this difficulty. 

“Even YOU?” he asked, his lip curling in disdain. “I haven’t seen many old people hiking this.”

It shook her confidence, for sure, but here she was, backpacking while old. 

We don’t tend to bounce back the way we did when we were younger.

That’s why we have to prioritize –

1:46 Rest
3:34 Nutrition
5:46 Exercise

– and in that order!

Blissful will give her first TEDx talk this October in Manchester, New Hampshire! The subject is "Stepping into the Unknown." Get tickets here. 

MUSIC: Introduccion y Allegro by Carlos Guastavino as played by Alison Young, flute and Vicki Seldon, piano. 

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Have you been wanting to do something a little wild and out-of-your-comfort-zone but were afraid to take the first step? 

When it comes to dreams, don't let them become a broken record of something you'll do "someday." 

In this episode, Blissful shares three reasons why we fail to act and keep our dreams to ourselves –

1. rules
2. fear 
3. shame

Take your dreams for a spin, even if you fail spectacularly. Your future self will thank you because, afterall, we tend not to regret the things we did do but the things we didn't do.

Blissful will give her first TEDx talk this October in Manchester, New Hampshire! The subject is "Stepping into the Unknown." Get tickets here. 

MUSIC: Introduccion y Allegro by Carlos Guastavino as played by Alison Young, flute and Vicki Seldon, piano. 

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