Adventures into the Gloaming

Katherine of Pender & Peony stands looking out at Blue Ridge Mountains in floral dress, boots, and wool shawl

Whirling thoughts…

Pressure mounting…

The spiral of stress…

Sometimes life overloads, and I feel like I’m going to bust out of my skin; hammer my head against a wall or embark on a screaming spree. That’s when a coping strategy is essential!

A lot of people, when in that situation, grab their mini bongs and have a smoke. I understand why, having seen all of the evidence to suggest how cannabis can relieve stress and tension, but that’s not what I do. My cure-all for low spirits or vexation is simple, straightforward, costs practically nothing, and ultimately brings a sense of peace. So when gloom prevails and life’s trials are simply too tough to bear, I get up, get out, and get walking. Brisk or slow through busy streets or time worn trails it doesn’t really matter just moving is the catalyst!

Katherine of Pender & Peony walks up in the hills

Katherine of Pender and Peony our for a stroll to relieve stress

Walking in of itself won’t solve my problems, I know this, but it does open up my chest, blow away the cobwebs, and leave space to find solutions.

It is simply the quickest and easiest remedy for stress and anxiety!

Katherine of Pender & Peony in floral dress holding shawl out for a walk in the pasture as a remedy for stress

My Look: Floral Dress Angie // Boots Ariat (Old Style – Similar Here) // Blue Shawl Custom Made by Fiber Artist Jane Adams – ( Similar Here )

My favorite strolling grounds are the mountain pastures above my parent’s home on the farm in Tuckasegee. I love to walk up in the hills across pasture and glen then up the steep slope for a view unlike any other.

There is something about the motion coupled with this vista that brings perspective.

Katherine in blue wool shawl and floral dress

Life has been full of changes lately: being back at my childhood home, working on the farms, frequently apart from S.

As much as I am loving these changes and the direction we are headed at times it has been challenging.

Katherine draped in blue wool shawl with floral dress and boots standing in mountain pasture walking for stress relief

For one, I’ve abandoned all my belongings more or less in Clinton, and as materialistic as it sounds I truly miss my things! For another, it is a unique challenge to work with family day in and day out. My parents, praise them, generally regard me with respect and as a capable adult, but every now and then I feel the tension of being 16 again and stymied by their worry and supervision.

Katherine walking up hill for stress relief

So when my stress levels rise and frustration challenges my gracious disposition, I go to the hills. Yes, I probably did watch far too much Sound of Music growing up, but Maria totally captured my sentiment:

I go to the hills when my heart is lonely
I know I will hear what I’ve heard before
My heart will be blessed with the sound of music
And I’ll sing once more

Katherine of Pender & Peony in fall floral dress and blue shawl dancing in field

So get up, get out, and get going the next time stress has you bending low, and maybe dare a twirl or two!

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