an outing at starved rock, part 1

Yesterday was a magical day at Starved Rock. It was one part nourishment from Nature and one part creative exploration. And mostly, an important experience of the freedom available to us when we allow ourselves to be supported and provided for.

I’ve had quite the journey with my AFO (ankle-foot orthotic), which was custom made for me when I was 19. I had cast it aside out of pride and stubbornness (and vanity) when I was maybe 21, also because I didn’t want to encourage atrophy in those muscles. But I’m in the clumsiest phase of my cycle right now, and when we strapped that AFO back on yesterday I basically felt the hallelujah chorus radiate through my body.

There’s more to this I want to dig into and write about for this blog, but for now I am just so thrilled to what is possible for me in the arena of outdoor play these days. I’ll also share a bit later on about my experience on an adult tricycle last summer at Mackinac Island!

After yesterday’s activities, today’s big restorative practice is to reset the heart of the home (the kitchen), which took a huge hit during our hurricane of prep for the park.