In August I began this experiment: microblogging. I kicked off this personal blog with a few selections from the journaling prompts I found on The Art of Manliness. The intent was to run through all 30 days to kick start a blogging habit. Well, I think I got through 10 of the prompts and the writing kind of gave way to posting some photos and other random stories from my life. I would like to get through a few more of the prompts at some point (in particular the one on memento mori) but they’ve been sent to the backburner for the time being.
Looking back through my posts from August, I guess it would be appropriate to update my post on “A New Positive Habit”. So far I this has not been as successful as I had hoped. Many volunteer organizations have had to postpone or drastically alter their operations due to the COVID pandemic. I did raise a little bit of money for Disabled American Veterans by participating in their annual 5k. I also became a member of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy. While I think both of these causes are worth supporting, and I will continue to do so in the future, donating/raising funds is a bit of a copout on doing the work. My intent is to get involved with some trail maintenance either on the North Country Trail or the Baker Trail or the GAP trail, all of which are within a short drive of my home. I’ll be keeping an eye out for these opportunities as the weather starts to get nicer next spring.
Other than getting started with micro.blog I see nothing but empty squares on my calendar from August. That, combined with my inability to recall anything that happened in August, must mean that I didn’t do too much. I do recall that during this time my wife and I were meeting up with a friend regularly on Sunday morning to go out for bike rides along the Great Allegheny Passage.
I’ve mentioned the GAP trail previously, in July, as the trail by which my Dad and I were supposed to bike to Cumberland, MD. The Sunday rides with my wife and our friend were different. They were a brief escape from daily life and a chance to enjoy some fresh air – or as fresh as it comes in Western Pennsylvania. Each weekend we would meet up at a trailhead and head off for an out-and-back bike ride. On one weekend my dad, who was feeling much better, joined us and got to see a little bit of the trail beyond the paved portion. He did not wreck this time and we hope to attempt the full trail again sometime in the future.
The Youghiogheny River near Boston, PA. August 2020