Tag Archives: Buddha

Shed That Skin

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“No one saves us but ourselves. No one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path.”

“Anything that costs you your peace is too expensive.”

-Buddha

As an educator I get to mark the end of summer two different ways. First, I see the return to school. Second, the date finally arrives when it is really, truly over. Today, September 22nd is that day. As I noted in an earlier post, my goal this summer was to get out as many times as I could. Looking at things statistically, from 6/27-9/21 I went on 31 hikes that covered 181.22 miles averaging 5.85 miles per hike.

Overall I think that this summer was an excellent one. I was able to clear my mind and get some weight off of my shoulders. The hikes this summer only reinforced one thing-that getting out in the woods can truly be therapeutic. Each mile that I spent walking the trails, carefully meditating on every step that I took, helped me shed anger that had been building up since the end of June.

Feeling the cool breeze in the morning, watching the sunrise and looking over the Hudson Valley on my many different hikes allowed me to shed that proverbial snake skin.  According to the web site Wonderopolis, “snakes shed their skin to allow for further growth and to remove parasites that may have attached to their old skin.” I couldn’t have said it any better!

So what is the goal now? The goal is to keep moving forward…

Happy Hiking!!!

Nature Therapy & The Nose (14)

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“For every minute you remain angry, you give up sixty seconds of peace of mind.”
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned.”

-Buddha

I usually don’t hike late in the afternoon, but after an incredibly horrific day on Wednesday the 26th, I needed to get some anger out of my system. The cure?? A trip to Anthony’s Nose. I have to admit that I don’t really have too many bad days, but this was one for the books. I don’t want to get into details, but I really needed sone Nature Therapy.

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Bear Mt. at 5 pm instead of 5 am!

This wonderful cairn appeared out of nowhere. I was just on the Nose the other day and it wasn’t there.

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Happy hiking!!

Summer 2017 Mileage:

7/26/17-4.0-69.72

Anthony’s Nose (2)

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“Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without.”

-Buddha

“Without health life is not life; it is only a state of langour and suffering – an image of death.”

-Buddha


It was another beautiful day for hiking in the Hudson Valley! At 7 am it was sunny, the temperature was about 52 degrees and the hiking was easy with a nice cool breeze that stayed with me all the way to the top. It really doesn’t get much better than this, especially at the end of June. It could be much hotter with humidity that would stop a horse in its tracks!

I did have an opportunity to meet a young lady who, according to her, hadn’t been to the Nose in a couple of years. She was hiking with her golden retriever, an absolutely beautiful dog who obviously knew I was a dog lover since he came right up to me and introduced himself! She had forgotten where the turn off was for the view-point so I pointed her in the right direction and off they went.

As we went our separate ways at the top, the retriever kept coming over to me to say hello! Some hikers might not like that, but I had no problem with it. He was really friendly and seemed to enjoy being out in the woods. That is one smart dog! Before she left, we did speak again about different hikes in the area and she asked me to take a picture of her and her friend with the Bear Mt. Bridge in the background.

I mention this because my faith in humanity has been partially restored, if even for a day. It is unfortunate, but even out hiking people are often times so distracted by one form of technology or another that the simple act of speaking to someone is often seen as an intrusion.  So kudos to this young lady for taking the time to speak with me and share some of her experiences and her furry friend!

Since I have documented so many trips to the Nose, I’ll spare you the usual pictures. What I have for you instead is some pictures of a hawk that flew straight up and then would ride the downdraft out of sight. To say the least, it was pretty awesome!

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This hawk was riding the downdrafts with a friend. Pretty spectacular!

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Another view of our fine feathered friends.

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One last look….

Summer 2017 Mileage:

3.7-7.52

 

A New Day

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Good morning everyone! Yesterday was a nasty morning with some snow and a little wintry mix here in the Hudson Valley of New York, but today is beautiful. A little chill in the air but the sky is blue with some wisps white. It’s a new day! I thought today I would share some of my favorite quotes with you to get you started and to think about the promise that each new day brings. I hope that you enjoy them!

“‎Today is a new day. It’s a day you have never seen before and will never see again. Stop telling yourself the ‘same crap, different day’ lie! How many days has that lie stolen from you? Seize the wonder and uniqueness of today! Recognize that throughout this beautiful day, you have an incredible amount of opportunities to move your life into the direction you want it to go.”

-Steve Maraboli

“Each morning we are born again. What we do today is what matters most.”

-Buddha

“Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future. Concentrate the mind on the present moment.”

-Buddha

“Worrying doesn’t take away tomorrow’s troubles. It takes away today’s peace.”

-Dalai Lama

When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive – to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love.”

— Marcus Aurelius

Peace!!!