Trail I am hiking: Santa Margarita River Trail
If you are local to the San Diego area, I found a hidden gem of a hike this weekend with the family. This trail is located about 40 minutes north along the 15 freeway if you were leaving from the Aligned Life office location. There is free parking at the trailhead. The path travels along the river which is currently full with water, tadpoles and fish. It is rocky in some spots but very flat for the majority of the time. There are large trees that provide the occasional shaded area making this doable even if you get a late start. My boys enjoyed it so much they asked if we could go again the following day with their bathing suits so they could get all the way into the river. If you are in the mood for an adventure, give this one a shot!
Lifetime goal I am achieving: La Jolla Cove to La Jolla Shores and back swim
Growing up in San Diego I have always thought it would be incredible to swim the distance between the Cove and the Shores in La Jolla. Having never done ocean swimming and considering it is a two mile round trip, this feat seemed largely impossible. After two years of endurance training and the help of a friend who had done this before I was able to successfully complete the swim on Saturday! We even had the good fortune of having four dolphins swim right under us in less than 10 feet of water. I am proud of being able to overcome my anxiety of ocean swimming and am excited about the future for more adventures!
Quote I am pondering: “Start by doing what is necessary, then do what is possible and suddenly you are doing the impossible.” ~ Francis of Assisi
On the drive back home after completing the swim in La Jolla I had a profound sense that this previously impossible feat was very symbolic of much of my life and the lives of others. We are so good at getting comfortable with the things we know. We can even begin to believe that anything outside of that bubble is scary. However, accomplishing this goal of swimming came relatively easy. My success formula went like this; clearly identify what I want to achieve. Next, place a picture of the thing on my bathroom mirror. Then identify a path. Practice regularly. Followed by find a mentor and lastly, try to accomplish the goal. If this seems oversimplified or cliché I will argue that this was exactly what happened. Accordingly, what I urge you to do right now is think for a few minutes about doing something that you have always thought would be amazing. Do not edit your thoughts based upon your current capacity. Get really clear on the end goal. Then take the aforementioned steps over time and enjoy the process. You will thank yourself for doing this and be a better person for it!
—
Have a kick ass week everyone!
In Health,
Dr. Devin Shea, DC
