69: Embracing Nature's Echoes: Celebrating Simple Joys and Unplugging from Digital Distractions

Ever wondered what it’s like to truly unplug and embrace the wild? Picture this: a mosquito-infested getaway in northern Minnesota, where rain and wood ticks can't dampen the joy of outdoor adventures. Join me, Lisa, as I share my Memorial Day weekend escapades filled with camping, fishing, and watching my golden retriever have the time of his life at the lake. This episode is a heartfelt tribute to our brave service members and a celebration of life’s simple pleasures.

Amidst the campfires and fishing tales, you’ll laugh at an unforgettable hiking mishap involving a colony of wood ticks. Discover how stepping away from digital distractions can be freeing and rejuvenating, even when nature has a few surprises in store. Let’s cherish the beauty of nature, the connections with loved ones, and the boundless joy of our furry friends as we honor and remember those who've sacrificed for our freedoms. Grab your favorite drink, settle in, and enjoy this lighthearted, reflective episode of Unleash Your Inner Radiance.

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:29

Hello Radiant Souls, welcome back to another episode of Unleash your Inner Radiance. I'm Lisa, your passionate life, wellness and transformation coach, and your guide on this beautiful journey we call life. Today we are diving into a topic that is close to my heart Memorial Day weekend, a time of reflection, gratitude and yes, the almost official start of summer. Memorial Day is more than just a long weekend. It's a time to honor and remember those who have served and sacrificed for our freedom. It's a humbling reminder, that of all the brave men and women who have given so much for us to enjoy the liberties and that all those that we sometimes take for granted. So I really want to thank all the veterans and the active service members out there, and a heartfelt thank you from the bottom of my heart for everything that you guys are doing for us. Your courage and dedication has truly inspired us all.

Speaker 1: 1:43

For many of us, memorial Day weekend is also centered on us, with camping, outdoor adventures and the promise of summer just around the corner. It's that sweet spot where school year is winding down. Some kids have a couple weeks left, others are already free. It's a weekend filled with the sounds of nature, the smell of campfires and, for me a semi-relaxing mosquito-infested getaway in northern Minnesota. Yes, you heard that right Mosquitoes, wood ticks, rain we had it all. But we also had a few glorious days of sun, campfires, fishing and reading. Of course, campfires, fishing and reading, of course. And honestly, the best part was having no cell service. There is something incredibly freeing about stepping away from my phone and just resetting. It's like hitting the pause button on the constant stream of notifications and to-do lists. It was also a weekend of us being on a lake. It was a weekend of the dogs, my golden dachs. Oh, my goodness, does he love the lake. He ran and ran all weekend and he lived his absolute best life because he didn't care if there's mosquitoes or wood ticks or rain, because he was always wet and dirty from the lake. Because what does a wet golden retriever do when he runs out of the lake? He rolls around in the dirt. So it was just a glorious weekend and really fun to watch and see how much fun he had with the other dogs and how he just lived his absolute best life for five days.

Speaker 1: 3:47

So we I really want to share with you guys a really kind of funny story and it's a funny story only because I was sitting in my like I have a screen tent that just did like a screen screen tent, that's what it actually is. And so I was sitting in my screen tent and I was reading and at that time a few other people had gone hiking and then others were leaving and there was one group that was leaving and I was like, oh, after they left I was like where did they go? And you know, everybody was just kind of like, oh, they went hiking. And I thought, oh, that's kind of weird, because they didn't even ask me if I wanted to go with. But the funny story is the group that did not ask me to go with.

Speaker 1: 4:38

So you know, we had a large group, camp, family, friends, about 18 of us in total, and we were up north in northern Minnesota, north of McGregor. And you know, some of us got a little bit more adventurous and when they decided to go hiking they all kind of went in to three different trails. So because there's like several trails where we were at in Savannah State Park where you can go off onto different hikes One's a 10 mile, there's shorter ones, just kind of all different so they kind of split off into several smaller groups, one group in particular the group that didn't ask me if I wanted to go hiking stumbled upon something truly unforgettable. So they were walking on the path and they noticed kind of the sandy spot that looked like it was kind of moving, but no one thought anything of it. So they ended up walking right through, I'm guessing, a wood tick colony, and the wood ticks I guess you know they're probably scrambling around on the ground figuring okay, we're here, what do we do? We're just here with all these wood ticks.

Speaker 1: 6:03

Well, let me tell you what happens when you step on a wood tick colony those wood ticks crawl up your legs as fast as they can, as fast as they can. So you got that right. They stepped right in a wood tick colony. They walked a few feet further after brushing a few of those off, and stepped into a second wood tick colony, at which those ones even attach themselves more, and so they all ran from. There was four of them. They all ran from the hike that they were on back to the road to get out of the woodticks and, needless to say, you've got three adults and one teenager brushing wood ticks off of them, screaming and laughing as they're doing this because they had hundreds of wood ticks on them and imagine the families driving by in their cars wondering what they were actually doing. But they came back and they went into the outhouses that we had and literally stripped and they left wood ticks all over the outhouses, which was not very pleasant. It ended up being just kind of funny in a sense, because I one didn't get to experience that, thank God, and it just kind of made me think.

Speaker 1: 7:50

You know, don't always be jealous when people go do things I was, you know more about. I wanted to get my steps in, I wanted to get my exercise. However, we were up a hill, so there was always steps for me to do, so I really didn't need to go on the wood tick hike. So I was perfectly good with that. But boy, the visual of them standing in the road screaming and brushing wittigs off of them as fast as they could, it's just kind of funny. There was some pictures and they were absolutely hilarious. So, needless to say, I was beyond relieved that I stayed behind, and that's really kind of too close of a call for me. I had enough wood ticks on me this weekend without walking through a nest of them or whatever it is you call them Still pulling wood ticks off of me today. So you know it is what it is.

Speaker 1: 8:55

But Memorial Day weekend is also a blend of remembrance and gratitude and making memories even tick-filled ones. It's a reminder to cherish those simple moments, laugh at the unexpected and appreciate the freedom that we have to enjoy these experiences. As I always do on Mondays, even though this is really late on Monday, I want to leave you guys with this affirmation here it is dreams. I embrace growth. I let go of fear and trust the process of transformation. Today, I unleash my inner radiance and shine my light brightly for the world to see. Now, like I tell you guys to do you know, think about that, write it down, repeat it, add it to your affirmation arsenal. But that's a really good one, because the world is filled with boundless possibilities and you need to be worthy and capable and you need to let go of your fear. And I just want you guys to have this so that you can journal on it.

Speaker 1: 10:48

So, as we wrap up today's episode, I encourage you all to take a moment to reflect on the true meaning of Memorial Day. Reach out to a veteran, thank them for their service and hold your loved ones a little closer and remember. Sometimes the best memories are made when we step away from our screens and embrace the world around us mosquitoes, ticks and all. Thank you for joining me on this journey. Until next time, stay radiant, stay grateful and keep unleashing your inner radiance.

Speaker 1: 11:29

Thank you so incredibly much for tuning in to this memorial day episode of unleash your radiance. I hope you've enjoyed our time together and maybe even had a few laughs at my camping adventure. Remember, life is all about finding joy in the journey, appreciating the small moments and honoring those who make our freedom possible. If you love today's episode, please hit the subscribe button and so that you never miss out when an episode is put out there, I'd love to hear your thoughts and your stories, so feel free to review or connect with me on social media. You can find me on Instagram. I have a link in the bio where you can connect with me on TikTok Instagram all the things, and I really want to keep the conversation going. I really want you guys to reach out to me, so stay tuned for more exciting episodes as we dive into topics that empower you to live a life of balance, growth and boundless possibilities even the ticks. Until next time, keep shining, keep growing and keep unleashing your inner radiance. Have a wonderful week and I'll catch you next time.