The Local Is Exotic (An Unexpected Gift of Disease) 

This week a  member of my facebook group (Ditch Inside for Outside) invited me for a walk in the trees at Brokenhead Wetland. This is about 30 minutes along Highway 59 from where I live in Pine Falls, Manitoba, Canada.

A cedar boardwalk/dock runs right through boreal forest. The dock is needed because this is wetland. Balsam fir and rare white cedar love it here. So do 28 species of wild orchids. Yellow lady slippers everywhere.

Since my  Lupus (SLE) diagnosis — the local has become exotic. Crushing fatigue is a feature of the disease. Now I appreciate what is close to me. This perspective is an unexpected gift of disease.

Invitation From A Friend To Walk With Walsh

This invitation to Brokenhead reminded me of how important it is to have friends in your life who want to get outside as much as you do.

Gloria said over a text “Want to do the Wednesday Walk With Walsh at Brokenhead?” When we got there she showed me water drops suspended in a spider web.

In our facebook group we are just starting a new little habit: Wednesday Walk with Walsh.

This is a fun way to be connected to someone else (albeit a beauty entrepreneur) far away in another world. It makes our world bigger to think that Jennifer Walsh is doing the same thing (only with CEOs) —- in Central Park, New York City.

This Walk With Walsh project connects us to our former urban lives. It connects us to loved ones living in cities around the world. It reminds us that living in cities can be healthy too. All our loved ones have to do, is find the trees — and time.

We consider all this as we look at insect eating pitcher plants. Without this dock out into the wetland we would never see this. The walkway is almost 2 km. Lots of time to wander and breathe in the tree aerosols.

Why You Need to Find Some New Wild and Free Best Friends

You too need to find some trees. And then you need to make them your new wild and free best friends.

Why? Because they are giving you 7 health benefits.  Specifically:

1 ) better immune system regulation,

2 ) increased development of cancer fighting proteins,

3 ) increased heart health (like taking a statin),

4 ) increased brain plasticity,

5 ) increased self esteem, decreased stress, increased mental health,

6 ) increased life expectancy, and

7 ) a feeling of being happier, healthier and at least 10k richer.

Any walk near trees will do. If you are in our neck of the woods, The Brokenhead Wetland is a beautiful walk. It is on the Brokenhead First Nation. They connected with the Manitoba Orchid Society to protect this place, For 300 years the Obijway have been walking in this boreal forest. Now we get a chance to walk through the wetland on a super dock.

Please say it with me:

Healthy Tree, Healthy Me,

Verla

I enjoy this sun protection technology. Columbia’s omni-shade UPF 50 allows me to be out in the sun having fun. I forget I have Lupus. Let this clothing be a game changer for you.