If there is one thing that is equally beautiful and annoying during this pandemic it is gratitude. When bad shit happens, we’re often told to think about what we are grateful for. The last 2 years have been truly utter shit for everyone. Ok, maybe not Jeff Bezos, but for the average person things have sucked big time.
When we sugar coat things with what we are grateful for, I think it takes away from our need to actually feel the feelings we have. Ignoring your feelings or the feelings of others is not healthy—it’s toxic.
That’s why the name of this year’s new year’s reflection is Gratitude and Shit. Because while a lot of good things happened this year, there’s still a lot of shitty shit. Both can be true. And I believe it’s better we be real about it than not.
I was a major horror film buff growing up and I still am. That’s why I agreed to take up Dasha's suggestion to check out the Stanley Hotel while in Estes Park, CO. Especially since it was the weekend before Halloween!
If you don’t know, the Stanley Hotel was famously the inspiration for Stephen King's thriller novel The Shining. After Dasha and I hiked Rocky Mountain National Park, we made a stop to experience all its spookiness.
What we discovered was a lot of people, a blustery day, and some unexpected facts about this iconic resort inn.
Back in late October, before the omicron COVID-19 variant was in the news, I took a 3-day trip out to Colorado. I had 2 goals while there—to spend time with my bestie, Dasha, and to hike some mountains!
I have absolutely no mountains close by to hike in Miami. So Dasha and I chose a hike that would take us to about 10,000 feet in elevation and end with two gorgeous mountain lake views.
This hike took me higher than my hike up Mount Ngauruhoe (aka Mount Doom) in New Zealand! While, I hiked Hunter Mountain in New York back in August, this was going to be my first time hiking in Rocky Mountain National Park.
