Climbing Mountains.
Time is seriously flying this year. I don't know where the last two months went and I've definitely not accomplished all of the goals I set at the beginning of the year. One of the goals I’ve accomplished is to read a book every month. Well, listened to a book every month. Audible has truly been my saving grace when I want to get lost in a good book. So far I’ve read: “The Truth Will Set You Free, But First It Will Piss You Off” by Gloria Steinem, “Why Not Me” by Mindy Kaling, “Scrappy Little Nobody” by Anna Kendrick, “Circe” by Madeline Miller and I’m almost done with “Daisy Jones and the Six” by Taylor Jenkins Reid. I can also check four mountain summits off my list for 2020: Lac MacDonald, Ha Ling Peak, Prairie Mountain and Mount Yamnuska.
Professionally, it kind of feels like I've been spinning my wheels since the pandemic hit, and I know a lot of people are feeling the same way. You know the light is at the end of the tunnel, but you don't seem to be moving forward toward it. Last week wasn't my best week, but I recognized it and used my day off on Friday to dive back into readings and podcasts about leadership development to get in a better head space. Between moving to Calgary and the pandemic, I've been a bit caught up in the day to day and my leadership skills have kind of taken a back seat—but I plan to change that.
One of my favorite podcasts for leadership development is Harvard Business Review's Women a Work. They just released their fifth season last month and the episodes couldn't be more relatable. In one episode, they talked through the struggle of setting positive boundaries as it pertains to work/life balance. I know my working parent friends are really feeling this. They have to take time out of their workday to teach and take care of their children, so they're having to work late hours to get caught up which can lead to a 24/7 work schedule. Others feel that because they don't have children, the expectation is that work is their number one priority so they are working nights and weekends to stay afloat. Pretty much everyone that still has a job is caught in this weird limbo of "I'm so stressed at work, but I'm so thankful for my job" and it puts quite a strain on your mental health.
When the crisis first hit, I didn't acknowledge work/life balance because there was so much work to get done to pivot but I had fait that we'd get through it to a new normal. That "new normal" hasn't really hit yet, but I'm shifting my perspective toward the bigger picture so I'm not as caught up in the weeds—which I realize is easier said than done. In an effort to (finally) acknowledge my own mental health needs, I've forced myself to build those boundaries around work and I'm prioritizing my projects and tasks so that I can step away at night and on the weekends to be with my family (and the mountains).
The day Alberta announced they were opening the provincial parks was the best new we heard in quite a while. It was like this wave came through and washed away some of the stress I'd been feeling because I knew I could escape come the weekend. Last weekend we set out with the dogs to Canmore (a little mountain town about 50 minutes from Calgary) for a stroll along the river and then ventured further into the mountains to Upper Kananaskis Lake where it's pretty much still winter. Ella was ecstatic to be able to roll around in the snow again! We even scoped out potential campsites for when they open up reservations again this week.
Yesterday, James and I set out on our own little adventure to summit Mount Yamnuska. Ok, it was far from a little adventure. The hike was almost six miles with an elevation climb of over 3,000 ft and more snow than we expected. Honestly, it was our favorite hike since we moved here, because the trails at the base of the mountain were green from all the rain and the snow made the rock scramble a little more technical. Talk about a mental and physical challenge. Honestly, my favorite part of climbing mountains is the feeling you get when you reach the top. It's a freeing feeling and a reminder that you can handle any obstacle that comes your way, no matter how hard it might be.
We really are so lucky to live near such beauty that we can explore every weekend and I'm more than happy to self isolate all week so I can safely hike in the mountains first thing on a Saturday morning.
xo, Stef
