The Accidental Hiker

Prior to COVID-19, I had never been on a hike. I actually mean never.

My family wasn’t a hiking family when I was growing up. I enjoyed inside sports like volleyball and dance. I was in theater and played piano. The extent of my outside enjoyment was some sand volleyball and the occasional trip round the neighborhood on rollerblades. I can’t even think of a time when I sought even a paved trail on which to walk.

My husband often asked, but, I didn’t really see the point. I’d much rather head to the gym to avoid the sun. Plus, hiking means that you have to deal with bugs and animals and the elements.

Fast-forward several years later and we are in the height of a global pandemic – no gyms, no restaurants, no coffee shops, no inviting people over into your home, no in-person work meetings. Just us. In our home. Every day.

Enter friends who want to walk at our local park.

If you guessed that I’ve never gone for a walk on the trail at our community park, you would be correct. I’ve always worried that I’d get lost.

But with my friend by my side, I set out to walk on the pavement, and, as I did, I enjoyed the fresh air on my face, the wind in my hair and the beauty of nature all around me. But it was safe on the pavement – no twigs to trip over, no rocks to jump into my shoes, no uneven footing. 

It wasn’t long before my husband came along with our kids and we were a walking family. 

But then, he asked if we could go on a hike. 

Um, a hike? I’m pretty comfy with the path. I can find my way back to my car. I know how many miles it is. I know where the hills are and how to navigate that one area that crosses over gravel. A hike is pretty nature-y. 

I wasn’t keen on it, but our kids were game, so we set off to a local nature preserve to, um, hike.

Oh, it wasn’t all beauty in the beginning. Sure, there were beautiful things to see, and flowers and ornate trees, and wide-open prairies. But it also was hot and humid, long, and filled with some grumbling. But we followed the trail with all its twists and turns – thanks to my husband (I’ve gotten lost in the easiest of situations), and we felt a kind of serene closeness as a family in the middle of all that nature – alone, but noticing the beauty of God’s creation and the history that accompanies the various land formations. 

We started being a little more outdoorsy. I began to notice the changes in our activities as a family. We began to appreciate the nice days so much more, and we took nightly walks and explored a little more.

Then, I was kind of hooked.

I have been running for a few years with some breaks in between, but I’m a strictly pavement runner. Read: I run the neighborhood.

What I don't do is run in the winter over ice and snow ... so ... could you even hike in the winter?

I soon found that the weather has provided snow and a whole new way to look at the paths we saw over the summer and fall. 

Assessment: it is gorgeous!

As an accidental hiker, I learned a couple of things about winter hiking. (And, since the groundhog was right, and an early spring seems imminent, you might want to grab some of these things on clearance for next year!) 

1. There is a reason people pay for more expensive coats. When you are out for a long-ish time, you need to be well insulated.

2. The big-box store snow boots might not cut it. I had to visit the resale shops and online second-hand stores to purchase some decent boots for my oldest and for myself.

3. You should invest in ice cleats. They aren’t a huge investment, but they will make you thankful for the $15 purchase.

4. Bring water – AND snacks. (You may want to invest in a nice, sturdy, lightweight backpack to hold your water, snacks, bandages, sunscreen and pony holders.)

5. Wear layers that can be easily removed or unzipped. Trust me.

6. Fresh air is amazing – by yourself, with family, with friends, or with random people you meet along the way.

7. The hardest hike is the first one. After that, you {kind of} know what you are doing.

8. Bring a map. Maybe it is just me, but I like to have one so I know how long certain trails are.

9. Breathe.

10. Enjoy. And, if you feel like hiking isn’t for you, find something else that refreshes your soul. And then, enjoy that!

You’re welcome :)

No Pain Without Purpose

No pain without purpose ~ Erin Carey 

I have to tell you about a woman I recently met.

We didn’t meet because we ran into one another. We didn't meet because our paths casually crossed. We didn’t even meet because friends introduced us and thought we’d be great friends.

It was a traumatic event that would put our paths on a collision course as I was allowed to share her story.

Kellyn is a patient care technician who works on a COVID floor. She sits with patients after her shift, so they are not alone. She holds their hands when their family can’t be there. She comforts and soothes and smiles. She is a ray of hope.

On her day off, she chose to help a mom in need by offering to babysit during remote learning. After school, the unthinkable happened.

Kellyn was attacked by the family dog – a dog that she knew and who had never bitten before. 

I contacted her to see if she would like to share her story with the paper, and, seemingly without hesitation, she called me on her way back home from an appointment at Northwestern Medicine Chicago. 

She had been attacked a mere five days prior, had received over 100 stitches, and lost most of her nose in the attack, but, when she called me, I would have never known. 

Confident, cheerful, and full of hope, Kellyn went over every dreadful minute with me – I didn’t expect her to, but she did. She matter-of-factly stated that she would likely need 20 procedures including one that would require removing cartilage from her ear to create the missing bridge of her nose and obtaining skin, probably from her forehead, to cover that area.

I’m not a medical person, but Kellyn is. When she invited me to her parents’ house to photograph her, I admit, I was skeptical that this was the place for me. Her mom answered the door, though, and immediately made me feel … well, like part of the family. 

I photographed her while she explained her medicines and ointments, as she went over her daily medical journal with her mom, and as she worked out with a pedal cycle -- her Kellyn-ton! You guys, I cannot imagine what it is like to be in her footsteps, and I know she has downright awful days, but she has to be one of the strongest people I’ve met.

Soon, we were talking about her job and her new husband. Her mom asked me about my family. We found out we had a lot of friends in common – and that she had homeschooled for a time as well. We talked about how her husband also worked at the hospital and that all of her nursing friends were extraordinarily interested in her wound care. I, however, was not.

But their faith, courage, and strength was undeniable. 

Her mother, Erin, kept saying that they don’t believe that pain is without purpose, and that she knew that God would Kellyn’s experience and story for good.

Wow.

I don’t say this often, but, my life was dramatically impacted that afternoon. I was inspired. Two of her sisters were there, and they chatted with me about their own lives and their own battles. This was a family who knew how to persevere.

Their witness to faith was powerful and introspective. Having gone through some difficult times with my own daughter’s health, I recently had been feeling as though we were just “getting by” and “getting through.” But this family … this family was thriving – and Kellyn was smiling – smiling. Oh, how I needed to see how that faith in action looked.

I haven’t known Kellyn and her mom for more than a week, but that is long enough to wish that I had known them my whole life. 

Kellyn, Erin, and Kyla, you inspired me in so many ways. Your ability to overcome, to share the fact that you have difficult moments that you aren’t hiding from, to put your faith in God, to share your story with a stranger – you have reached in and touched my heart in ways I never could have imagined. I know your story is going to inspire others. The road won’t be easy. I know that even the most optimistic hearts have moments of anguish. But, God will bring you through this – and the incredible support team of your husband, family, friends, and community will be there, too. 

Let there be no pain without purpose. 

Paczki Day

 

It is a weird name for a day: Fat Tuesday or Paczki Day.

I get the traditional implications -- we have 40 days of fasting from something  (or adding something to our daily life) ahead of us if you are a Lent person.

Growing up in a Polish family, Paczki was a thing. I remember that glorious day when my mom would order a once-a-year bakery box of those deliciously jelly-filled donuts sprinkled with powdered sugar and just begging for consumption after dinner.  

Thankfully, in the throngs of raising babies, my mom continued to order them -- and deliver these sweet treats every year.

Somewhere along the way, there were forgotten orders, which made me wonder if I could make them myself. So I looked up some recipes, and I baked them myself. Because, I'm kind of stubborn like that.

It has become a tradition now -- and the kids look forward to my baked Paczki, perhaps even more than the bakery variety. This year, we filled them with seedless black raspberry preserves, and I made custard to add as well. I have this preserve/custard inserter thing that I have no idea where I might have acquired it, but it is pulled out religiously (haha) every Monday before Ash Wednesday to add that wonderful filling to this baked pastry that we all enjoy without really even thinking of the concept of Fat Tuesday.

It is, rather, a fun thing to do with my girls before we embark on this journey of Lent. I enjoy this season because I can almost taste the sweetness that comes at the end of this period of desolation. 

For me, the Paczki represents that celebratory time when all is well in our faith life and things just seem to go as planned and the jelly is that bonus day when our faith radiates and we have no doubt. Ash Wednesday, though, is the start of the drought. None of us are immune. There are times when the shadows of life cast doubt on the faith I cling to during the difficult times. There are moments when my fear overshadows my belief. There are days when I find myself struggling to pray. There are mornings when my coffee doesn't get me through my morning devotion. And then... one day leads to another and another and another ... until that one day, when something calls me back -- not to the faith, I've never lost faith, it is just hard to lean into sometimes. It calls me back to the practice. The daily practice of drawing in to Christ.

It's a hard fall -- from Paczki to "You are dust and to dust you shall return." It's a hard fall from living on the adrenaline of a strong prayer life to struggling to find the motivation to pick up your Bible. But we all go through it. And, tonight, we celebrate that spiritual high -- the sweetness and the richness of filling our lives with joy just like we stuff that Paczki full of jelly.

Happy Paczki Day, ya'll!

The Lessons I Learned from 'Groundhog Day' -- 2021 Reflection

I grew up close to where ‘Groundhog Day’ was filmed. My parents took us to watch some of the filming – see very dated photo of me with Mr. Bill Murray in the background.

I'm guessing I had no idea who Bill Murray was, but my father -- to whom the photo credit goes -- likely was pretty excited.

Since then, I’ve moved to the town, reported on the festival for many years, and had opportunity to interview many involved with the film as well as visitors who come just to see the site.

Over the last several years I’ve met two guys from New York who bonded in grade school over the movie and made a pilgrimage here for several years just for the festival, a couple from Germany who celebrate their anniversary on Feb. 2 and came to Woodstock last year to enjoy Groundhog Days, a man who painted sets for the movie back in 1992, the locations manager for ‘Groundhog Day’ Bob Hudgins who has all the stories, the stuntman who leapt out of the bell tower for Murray, the chairman of the Groundhog Days committee, and, of course, Stephen Tobolowsky.  Most recently, I was able to interview a McHenry county native who had a role in the movie – and a star on her trailer.

It’s been a whirlwind. 

I had only watched the movie but one time before last year. It wasn’t a film I felt I needed to watch again and again, however, after listening to Tobolowsky, Hudgins, and the stuntman (let me tell you that that bell tower is a LOT higher when you are standing in it!), I thought I would watch it another time.

After giving it a second viewing last year, and I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. This year, the kids asked to watch it, so we had a movie night, and, much to my surprise, I enjoyed it even more. First, there is the fact that we walk by all of the places Phil Connors does, and it is fun to see our Square on television. Then there is the fact that we know some of the people – and know the stories behind the stories. But the thing that impressed me most this go-around was that I’d watched Murray and Tobolowsky run scenes for the Jeep commercial last year. I saw the way they interacted. I saw the way they goofed around, and I also saw how they got the job done. And then I saw the final product – and it was a great perspective on life. I spent a long time chatting with Tobolowsky, and the way he spoke about the message of the movie truly inspired me. 

So this third time I watched it brought more contemplation. 

As I watched the day on repeat, I reflected on the ways in which Phil Connors changes. 

Perhaps it was because I had just spoken with Angela Gollan – the piano student who gets shoved out of her lesson so Connors can learn to play, but I took another, more in-depth look at some of the other “minor” characters and how they were impacted throughout the film. 

Those ‘minor’ characters begin to seep into the very fibers of Connor’s being.  Oh, not at first. In the beginning, Connors is merely trying to do whatever it takes to get out of February 2. Then, his goal shifts to trying win over Rita, eventually using the information he has to manipulate the situation. When none of this brings about change or happiness, he attempts to get away with whatever he can and, eventually, tries to kill himself – all with the same result: Each morning, he awakes at 6 a.m. on February 2. It is a never-ending cycle. Then, a unique thing begins to happen:  he starts to notice people. He doesn’t just pass them by, he really notices them – what they need, who they are, why they are who they are. He begins to take a vested interest in their happiness as he grows to know them a little more each day. He tries to make a difference in their lives even though he knows it will only be forgotten as the day begins again. But, he knows. And, that is all that matters.

On his last day repeating February 2, Connors actions are determined, not by the crazy desire to do things he knows will never kill him, not by the idea that he could try to impress Rita, not by his fascination with becoming the center of attention with his eccentric Groundhog Day broadcast; no, his actions are determined by the people with whom he’s interacted day after day.

He grows to care about the homeless man who he once passed by with disgust. He manages to catch a boy falling out of tree to prevent his broken leg, he helps change a flat tire, he saves the mayor from choking on a piece of steak. He doesn’t have to do this. They will all have another chance at life the next morning. Perhaps in taking the opportunity to develop skills in areas he never would have pursued before, he becomes a man who finds joy in using the full potential of his life to make a difference in the lives of others. 

On that day, it seems that everyone who is anybody – and anyone who isn’t anybody –  knows Phil Connors, but to Phil, life is no longer a popularity contest. He acts from the heart – and that catapults him into February 3.

That message resonated with me ever so much more this year. We are coming up on the anniversary of a year where many of us have been isolated, working from home, separated from the ones we love, and masked when out. This is hard. Our souls were not meant to do this life alone. We are a social people. When you smile with your eyes at the grocery store, when you send a card to someone unexpectedly, when you text a friend out of the blue, when you stop to think about what someone needs and not just what you could do, when you wave from across the street – that is the message of ‘Groundhog Day’. It means caring even when it is hard. It means repeatedly washing laundry or making dinner or catching someone falling out of a tree – even when we are never thanked for it. It means remembering someone’s name and treating them with respect – because you know you could change the outcome of someone’s day, or, even, their life. It means being reckless with your love – showing up, getting to know the person beyond the façade, caring about who they really are, and letting them know that they are worth getting to know.

Today, no matter if the groundhog sees his shadow or not (If you are curious, Woodstock Willie did NOT see his shadow, which means – there will be an early spring!), I encourage you to be the sunshine in someone’s life. Smile. Buy a cup of coffee for someone. Say, ‘hello.’ Send a text. Write a letter. In the end, life is more about the way we care for others than it ever will be about what we accomplish. 

Thanks, Phil Connors, for teaching us so much about life.

The town square -- just a little ways away from where Gobbler's Knobb was set up.

The crowd gathering during the pandemic Prognostication.

Our Mayor, proudly interpreting Groundhoguese. 

Woodstock Willie, Mark Szafran with his groundhog, Groundhog Days Committee Chairman Rick Bellairs.

Stephen Tobolowsky came for the weekend in 2019:)

Stuntman Rick LeFevour returning the the Bell Tower last year.

Rick ... leaning out of the bell tower! Eek!

Brian Doyle-Murray and Bill Murray arrive on set last year in Woodstock.

Stephen Tobolowsky and Bill Murray -- reunited again -- in Woodstock.