Last weekend, prioritizing fresh air and a slower pace was actually on the agenda. (Yes, sometimes it takes putting "relaxing" on the to-do list for it to become a priority. Not proud of that!)
It's been a remarkably warm and sunny autumn here in Montreal, and it makes me so eager to spend time outdoors, my face to the sun, soaking up the last warm rays before winter hits hard. I have tried to work outdoors as much as possible on tasks that don't require more than a brain, paper, a pen or a laptop!
This weekend, I wanted to get out a little bit further than the city, so I took two short daytrips to Ontario (Montreal to Cornwall along the river) and to the Eastern Townships in Quebec (Orford and Magog). The result was just as I had wanted: lots of sun, autumn colors, warm air, dazzling waterfronts and (the highlight) a horsebackriding adventure in the forests of Orford.
This weekend, I wanted to get out a little bit further than the city, so I took two short daytrips to Ontario (Montreal to Cornwall along the river) and to the Eastern Townships in Quebec (Orford and Magog). The result was just as I had wanted: lots of sun, autumn colors, warm air, dazzling waterfronts and (the highlight) a horsebackriding adventure in the forests of Orford.
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Doesn't it feel good when you see little reminders like this along the way? For me, the reminder to go slow, to be mindful, to make time for unwinding never goes unnoticed, because I have a natural tendency to pack my days to the brim.
At Orford on Sunday, I became a little girl again. The little girl who was once obsessed with horses and who constantly saved up money to own a horse one day. I used to pretend that my bicycle was my horse, and would tie my skipping rope between the handlebars to use as reigns.
Oddly, I had only been horsebackriding once before Sunday, on a beach in Greece (not so bad, right?!), but it was more like a stroll than actually horse-riding. The afternoon ride in Orford was wonderful - in narrow forest paths covered in falling leaves, over streams, across deep ponds, through fields with old scraggly trees and along quiet country roads. We even picked up speed now and then, and in those moments, you really cannot think of much else other than the rhythm of the horse, the sound of its hooves and the scenery around you.
Horses have a strangely calming effect on me, possibly because I consciously slow myself down and talk more softly, in order not to spook them. It's just the right therapy, then, to spend a sunny fall afternoon with horses in nature.
Oddly, I had only been horsebackriding once before Sunday, on a beach in Greece (not so bad, right?!), but it was more like a stroll than actually horse-riding. The afternoon ride in Orford was wonderful - in narrow forest paths covered in falling leaves, over streams, across deep ponds, through fields with old scraggly trees and along quiet country roads. We even picked up speed now and then, and in those moments, you really cannot think of much else other than the rhythm of the horse, the sound of its hooves and the scenery around you.
Horses have a strangely calming effect on me, possibly because I consciously slow myself down and talk more softly, in order not to spook them. It's just the right therapy, then, to spend a sunny fall afternoon with horses in nature.
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What did you do last weekend? Do you sometimes push yourself to get out into the fresh country air? Leave me a comment, I'd love to hear from you!
From my heart to yours.
From my heart to yours.
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