Hiking

I will jump at the opportunity to go trekking in nature anytime. Hiking is one of my favorite activities, and I am honored to walk the trails with my sweet family. We all love the peace of the outdoors, the fresh air, the healing green and the mountainous terrain. When I was a child, my mom used to take my brother and I hiking, and the walking and climbing we did together are some of my most cherished childhood memories. I don't know if it was the challenge, the company, the majestic trails, probably the combination of all now that I think of it, that fulfilled me so.

On our recent hiking trip, I was enchanted by Emma's excitement at seeing all the rocks as we were going up the mountain. I knew that it would take a longer than usual because she wanted to jump from one rock to the other and tell me what shape they were. She would say: "Mama, that's a pineapple, mama, that's a castle, mama, that's a pizza, mama, that's a triangle..." and so on she went enjoying all the shapes. I started appreciating the trail more just because she made me be present at what was there at the moment and I forgot about thinking to get to the top as soon as possible. I actually started to see what shapes I could see in the rocks too. The one that looked like a heart to me, looked like a shoe to her, so it was interesting to see how we would interpret them. I really didn't care if the walk would take us forever because we were enjoying the journey, and at the end, that's what it's all about.

Alexandra was quite receptive the whole time and I could feel her taking in all the green around us and she was happy and peaceful. She was awake the whole trail riding on her backpack and right before we reached the peak she fell asleep. When she woke up, I nursed her and she was ecstatic to feel the wind caressing her face at the mountain top. Juan Carlos and I had gone up that trail so many times during the years with our three puppies and various friends and family, that we conversed about all our adventures on that trail and how now we continue on with our beloved daughters. We will continue exploring and finding new trails as we also enjoy the old ones with our treasures and companions in life. We are the inner circle journeying together in the outer circle of life.