It is interesting that when I post the 30 second view of my daily walk I get two very distinct responses:

• I get notes from people telling me how pretty it sounded, how the birds are relaxing, how lucky I am to live in such a peaceful place…
• I get notes from people concerned about ticks, snakes, bears, wild hogs, my dogs, or in general my safety

The first response is the reason I take the time to video my walk for 30 seconds every day. I want you to feel the peace and beauty I get to explore. The second response reminds me how fortunate I am to have so many people who are concerned about my safety and care about me. I am one fortunate person to have you all in my life.

Because I care so much about you all, I hope I can encourage you and relieve your fears somewhat. I don’t live in the city so I have no suggestions for those of you who walk on city streets. I am sure that some of what I have to say applies, but probably not everything I say applies.

By nature I am not a person who takes risks. I have my own share of anxiety, quirks, and phobias (heights and claustrophobia are at the top of my list). Even with my own anxiety I decided a long while back not to live my life in fear. It isn’t easy, in fact some days it is incredibly hard to choose not to be afraid. I have a friend who says we need to do something that scares us every day. Something as simple as speaking to a stranger, trying a new recipe, learning something new counts. I will tell you that videoing myself scares me still every day. Posting on Instagram scares me.

If I’m being honest fear does sometimes almost win. Climbing Enchanted Rock (actually it was climbing down from Enchanted Rock) was a time when fear just about swamped me. It took a good bit of time sitting on a rock, crying, trying to find another option, and sitting in my fear before I got myself together enough to follow my husband down the rock to the more level trail.

I believe that fear is a liar. It tells you that you can’t, or aren’t able. Fear makes you feel you aren’t good enough, smart enough, strong enough … you insert the adjective that fear is telling you. I’m just not willing to let fear hijack my joy.

Choosing not to be afraid doesn’t mean I’m choosing to be reckless. I’m not jumping into a pit of rattlesnakes, or jumping out of a perfectly good airplane. I’m also not reckless about my walking. Part of the reason that some worry about me is what I choose not to share because it would be reckless. I don’t share what I do to make sure I’m safe. I don’t share my address. Also, if I were to show you all our property and how safe it is, I would actually be making it less safe for me.

Here are some things that I do, and I hope you do as well to make your walk safer:

• Someone knows every time I am walking and what time to expect me back.
• I have Live 360 on my phone so my husband can see exactly where I am and if I’m moving. That’s important in case of a fall or injury.
• Speaking of falling or injury, I have a smart watch that has a fall alert on it. If it detects a fall and I don’t respond it will call 911 for me. I actually fell in January and it worked. I had to move fast to stop it from calling 911. (I was fine by the way.)
• I never hike alone. Never.
• I have the right equipment. My shoes are in good shape, my phone and watch are charged, I am even carrying a whistle now.

I also know the insects and animals to expect in our area and what to expect. I’m not an expert by any means but I feel confident that I could identify a dangerous situation.

• Nocturnal animals out in daylight means something is wrong. Skunks, raccoons, and coyotes out in daylight could mean they are ill or injured. I would turn and run while calling home immediately. Never seen any of the above.
• I have a hard and fast rule to not step where I can’t see. I walk around logs and don’t walk in tall grass. Snakes really don’t want to mess with us, and their first instinct is to go away so I start backing away from snakes when I see them to give them room. I’ve never seen a snake walking but we see snakes on our property.
• I am well versed in the dangers of ticks. They actually scare me most. My mom contracted Lyme disease and it caused so many problems for her. I spray my shoes with Deet, wear tight fitting clothes, I take everything off as soon as I get home. Our laundry room is right by our back door and in they go. I shower after walking and check for ticks. It is a pain but I don’t want to get sick. Our dogs are also on a monthly medication to prevent ticks.

I hope this helps you to think about your own walking safety and encourages you to push through your own fears. I hope you find joy in every single day.

“It’s okay to be scared – do it scared. It’s okay to be unsure – do it unsure. It’s okay to be uncomfortable – do it uncomfortable. Just get started where you are. That is the attitude of the most disciplined and successful people on the planet. You.”

— Rory Vaden

Thanks for joining me!

I love hearing from you,

Karen