Day 17 - Appreciating A Time Of Transition

It is on days like this where I'm reminded how enjoyable life truly can be. A crisp fall day greeted me on the morning of Day 17. That first breath of the slightly chilled fresh air delivered a pleasant burn into my lungs, jolting me fully awake and placing a smile on my face. Autumn invokes many conflicting emotions from people, it's a very misunderstood season. Some take it as a sign of dread for the winter months that are guaranteed to follow. The preparations made to your majestic lawn for it's transformation into snow-covered tundra, winterizing all those items that need winterizing, and the anticipation of dusting off the shovel or snowthrower for another season. For me, the passage from summer to winter is quite enjoyable, as there is so much to enjoy for these few months of transition. The fall brings TV premieres, warm sweaters, and nature walks with my wife (sans-mosquito repellent). It also brings hockey, of the professional and recreational variety, and though I do very much enjoy watching, I can't wait to lace them up and get out there myself.

Playing hockey was a giant boost for my activity and fitness levels over the past few years, and I plan on continuing for this coming winter. Sadly, resigning from my job of 9 years this past spring has left me without a team, but all is not lost. A friend of mine has invited me to join his recreational league at a fraction of the cost, and with consistent game times. I spent many seasons having to play games after 11pm on a weeknight, which made for a very long day to follow. But, I also did have the good fortune of learning many things from competing with highly skilled, truly patient, and hugely accommodating players over the years. I'm now looking to physically get myself back into shape where I'll once again be able to put their teachings into practice. At least to the best of my abilities. That's all they ever asked of me, and hopefully my new teammates will be just as understanding and helpful. So, along with a weekly game or two, once the weather allows for the outdoor rinks to open, I'll be able to vary my cardio workouts even more. It's much easier to get exercise and be active when you're having fun doing it.

The weather was still chilled, but very pleasant when I arrived home. My wife had suggested we head out for a brisk walk before I had to leave for the evening's recoding session. We lightly bundled ourselves and set off. The range of colours to be viewed on an autumn day on the Prairies is truly something to behold. As we made our way through one of the largest urban forests in North America, time seemed to stand still. A group of deer were grazing a few meters from us, and they weren't bothered in the least by our intrusion, it seemed as if they had stopped to pose. A gentle breeze would stir the little piles of leaves scattered amongst the grass, creating a symphony of scratching and rustling that would cause the birds in the overhanging trees to nervously hop from branch to branch, in hopes of obtaining a better vantage point to observe the commotion. We arrived back home after an hour, both in agreement that this mini-adventure should be a regular occurrence until the snow arrived. I then headed out to a wonderful night in the recording studio, and it was an enjoyable experience as always. Everything seemed to go very smoothly, and I left already anticipating my next visit.

By the time I'd arrived back home I was ready to relax a little bit. After a little couch time and having prepared my food for the following day, I went to bed, again a little earlier than the night before. I'm weaning myself off of my customary "late nights" very slowly, and I'm already seeing vast improvements with my energy levels during the day. So, no formal workout for Day 17, but our walk had left me feeling very satisfied. It's amazing what can be experienced if you take a little time to enjoy some of life's little pleasures (and I'm not talking about food).