YEAR 27 REFLECTIONS & 28 MILES FOR YEAR 28

By the time I get this post out, I am going to be 30 (just kidding)! Back in September 2023, I turned 28. It is now January 2024. I’ve tried to write this post so many times but each time I sit down to write I have different thoughts and feelings that have been hard to put into words.

Last month (December) at my work teams end of year celebration, I had everyone make an emotional journey map of their year. We’re product people after all and journey maps are our thing. I thought it would be a fun team activity to help us individually reflect on 2023 and share. Side note, as I think about this more, I’m not sure encouraging people to be vulnerable is actually fun for them but it turned out to be a great activity none the less.

When I sat down to make my year in review emotional journey map, I found the highs and lows were characterized by hiking trips, meditation retreats (yes, I went on more than one), big milestones like buying my first home, and periods of profound loss and grief (the passing of two family members, the loss of relationship). My journey map through the year was like a rollercoaster at Cedar Point, which is the greatest rollercoaster park for those of you not from Ohio. I spared my team the details and leveled out some of my highs and lows so I wouldn’t have to be too vulnerable (all about balance here) but wow was it a year of growth and change!

Year 27 was the year my life took a turn in a direction I could have never anticipated and it was peppered with change, beauty, loss and grief like I’ve never experienced. It was the year of tough lessons, continuous growth, consistent habits, and beautiful new beginnings, resulting in a clearer vision of who I am and who I want to become. I’m extremely grateful for year 27 though I’m still working and growing through the change it brought. I spent the most time on the trail this past year thinking, grieving, healing, growing, and being grateful for this beautiful life. I was mostly alone, but sometimes with friends as nature and good friends are my favorite company.

To bring in year 28 I did what I do best- hike! I decided to try to do 28 miles to commence my 28th year. With my birthday coinciding with the peak of fall colors in Colorado, I made a list of trails known for great leaf peeping and I decided to do a couple of them. I started my day climbing Mt. Bierstadt as I hadn’t summited a 14er this summer yet. It was such a beautiful morning with almost no one on the trail (it was a Wednesday). I watched the sun come up over the mountain as I was hiking up and when I got to the top, there was no wind. It’s rare to experience no wind on the top of a 14er so I stayed at the top for 30 minutes or so and enjoyed the views and sunshine. When I got down I headed to Abyss Lake Trail which is a gorgeous trail, especially in the fall. I was pretty tired by the time I got to the top of Abyss Lake Trail (and hungry) so I headed back down and went to my favorite barbecue place in Idaho Springs for lunch. By this point, I had hiked 17 miles with about 5000 ft elevation gain so I was feeling tired. I decided to head back to my house and bike the last 11 miles before sharing yummy pumpkin muffins I made with my sweet neighbors.

I had a lot of hours on the trail that day which allowed me to do a lot of thinking. I did a little year in review as I was climbing up Mt. Bierstadt which seemed fitting. Some key learnings stood out to me as I was climbing:

1. Health is my greatest gift: I’m focusing on building a foundation of (and being eternally grateful for) mental, physical & emotional health. The rest of life flows from there. Our body and mind is our vehicle to experience the 3D world so be good to it. 🙂
2. Change your energy to change your life: Throughout the year I’d find myself low energy or in a “funk” as I would call it. Changing my energy by getting out for a walk or hike, meditating and feeling love in my heart would change my state so I wouldn’t resort to poor, avoidant coping mechanisms. I truly believe the energy you give in this life is the energy you receive. That has become my motto and it reminds me to check the energy I am giving often.
3. Human connection fills my cup: Connecting with other humans on a deep level about their life experiences, learnings, and evolution helps inform my experience. We are all living life through our own lens colored by our experiences. Focusing on building adult relationships and connecting deeper with my family, friends, and strangers is an ongoing goal of mine. I’ve learned, the people you bring with you on your life’s journey is just as important as the journey itself. Now more than ever, I’m so grateful for the amazing family and friends I have the privilege of sharing my life with.
4. Life is good: No matter the challenge I’m experiencing, there is always an abundant amount of things to be grateful for. My grandmother embodied this with her steadfast belief/motto that “life is good, so enjoy the day”. I am frequently brought to tears as life continues to show me how good it is.
5. The more I learn, the less I know: As I delve deeper into spirituality and evolving my life’s experience, I am humbled by how much I do not know. This makes me excited for this journey through life as I know I will continue to grow, evolve and change as I seek new knowledge and deepen my understanding of the world around me. “Strong beliefs loosely held” is one of my favorite reminders.
6. Be where your feet are: I’ve learned that wherever I am on a moment to moment basis is exactly where I am supposed to be. Intuitively, I know I cannot control the future or change the past. The only thing that is left is to put my awareness in the present moment. Knowing that anything that is meant for me, will not pass me helps ground me in the present so I can enjoy the now.
7. Solitude does not have to be lonely: I’ve spent a lot of time this year getting to know myself, my inner thoughts, my unconscious beliefs and actions/reactions. With so many available distractions it’s easy to not sit with yourself and really get to know you. At first when I would sit with myself for too long I would start to feel lonely. Having a positive or negative experience in solitude is just a mental reframe away. Sitting with you allows you to think, intuit, and feel without outside inputs. It’s important to stay in touch with and reflect on who we are, our dreams, goals, desires, joys and pains. Moments in solitude can give us insights and course corrections as we journey through life. Solitude is now something I crave so I can continue to discover and shape who I am.
8. Have grace: Grace towards myself and grace towards others. I’m doing my best with the knowledge/experiences I have and others are doing their best with what they know. I’m not my best self every day and I know I will continue to make mistakes and (hopefully) learn from them. Forgive often, especially yourself 🙂
9. Life starts at the end of our comfort zone: A reigning theme of this past year was getting comfortable being uncomfortable. What fun is it sticking to the known when there is so much new and unknown for us to experience? The things worth pursuing can be uncomfortable but they usually lead us to something great.
10. Sunrises and sunsets are free: They happen every day and I strive to watch more of them. How cool is it that the sun wakes us up and the moon puts us to bed each day?
11. Hug more: I have been on a “more hugs” soapbox this past year. If you Google the benefits of hugs, they basically equate to being a miracle drug that make humanity happier and healthier. I’m not saying that, science is. 🙂 I’ll just do my part in trying to normalize long hugs for the benefit of us all!

I’m sure there are additional learnings I am overlooking but I am very grateful for this past year and the experiences I’ve had throughout my life leading up to it. I’m grateful for my beautiful family and friends who endlessly support me and lift me up. I’m grateful for the experiences of joy and sorrow. I’m grateful for sunshine, my morning coffee, my health, my home, my work, and my sweet little blog. I’m grateful for year 28 and all the present moments, growth, and beauty that’s in store!

Until the next tale… Happy trails.

-Hannah