The Art of Reframing: Shifting Your Focus and Adjusting Your Attitude

It was a beautiful day. The temps had risen. The sun was shining. Snow and ice had begun to melt. It was a great day for a hike. I had wrenched my back a few days prior and was looking forward to the idea of moving. Perhaps this walk would work out all the kinks. We were recovering from the winter flu as well. The exercise would be good for our lungs. So we packed out backpacks, grabbed our gear and headed out.

I had been hiking in Colorado, my new home state, several times with my husband. I had enjoyed each hike and relished in the beauty around me. If I carried a pack, it was light with maybe a protein bar, water, and an extra shirt and gloves. He had always carried everything else. Today would be my first day carrying my new Osprey backpack. I had my spikes, snacks, water bottle, extra socks and clothes, epi-pen, just-in-case meds. It was my fist time to fill this pack. I was frustrated with the newness of what to put where. Or even what to bring.

The trailhead was a mile walk from the parking lot. I don’t even remember the scenery around me. My focus was on my back and the extra weight of the pack. My spikes, which had never given me trouble, needed tightening several times. I was frustrated and grumpy. When we reached the trailhead we made adjustments to my pack, ate a GoGo Squeeze, sat a minute, and then headed up. My attitude failed to improve. I was wearing non-prescription shades so the sun wouldn’t blind me but I couldn’t see clearly, so I just stopped looking. I had forgotten my phone, so I couldn’t even stop along the way to take pictures of the scenery-something I love doing. At this point I was just putting one foot in front of the other. Trudging. Not looking to my right or my left.

This was the first hike I had not enjoyed.

My attitude was not a secret. So, we stopped. Had a discussion, then adjusted my pack and spikes once again. I removed my shades, put on my prescription glasses and began to look around me. We walked down to the river and I made the most important adjustment of the hike. I adjusted my attitude. We snapped some pics and headed back up a little ways before turning around to head back.

The mountains always speak to me. The forest calls. The silence is never truly silent. Volumes of peace speak to my soul. The trees which had been burned out by the forest fires of years past, even in death were beautiful because I knew there remained a promise of life around them. Yet my soul did not hear the call of the trail or the whisper of the mountains this day. My mind could only hear the noise within. My perspective was off.

I failed to soak in the beauty surrounding me with every footfall. Yet I have learned there is power is embracing shifts in our focus and navigating transitions beyond what is familiar. Changing your perspective can change your life. It can also transform the moment.

Thus, I have chosen to view this moment as a learning opportunity. I may have missed it in the moment, but there are treasures I brought with me from the trail.

• I gained insight on what to pack in my pack.
• I learned there are better positions in the pack for certain items.
• I need to pull my spikes on tighter at the beginning of the hike.
• I need new glasses-with transition lenses!
• I will practice wearing my pack when I go walking in the park so my body becomes adjusted to the weight and position.
• I will practice packing an repacking the pack to determine the best location of the items to which I desire quickest access.
• I am short-less than 5 feet. So, my pack may still be too large for me. This has yet to be determined.
• I have been forgetting my phone quite a bit lately. What is up with that?

LESSON: Sometimes the trails we take are not meant to be inspirational. Sometimes they are meant to be opportunities for growth. When we embrace these shifts in perspective we can transform our outlook, reaching beyond what is familiar and comfortable, reframing our expectations to become better and stronger versions of ourselves.

NOTE: We went to Scheels and traded in my backpack for a lighter frameless Mystery Ranch Gallagator 25 day pack. It sits on my shoulders without putting pressure on my hips or pushing into my neck. I am looking forward to trying it. If it doesn’t work we will try again.