Reflections

Maybe it's that time of year. The end of one year, and the start of a new.

It's a time to reflect on the year that's past. How we've changed. Things we've learned. New places we've been. A time to think about the new friends in our lives, friends that may no longer be in our lives, and the core group of people that have helped us get through another year.

What things to we want for the new year? Are there new goals that we have? Things about our lives or ourselves that we're not happy with? New things we want to try? Whether it's a professional or personal goal, what will the new year hold for us?

Personally, there's a lot I want to do next year. From continuing to see the world to continuing to spend time with good friends and my family. I want to spend even more time cooking and baking (Yes! More time!) and continue to grow as a cook.

Something else I want to do more of? I want to take better advantage of my local surroundings! I spend a lot of time in San Francisco, and a lot of time traveling, but not necessarily a lot of time in the areas surrounding San Francisco.

One of my favorite blogs that I follow is a blog my friend Adam writes: http://www.cyclingteacherguy.blogspot.com/. His posts are thoughtful, often inspirational to me and has also made me realize how little time I spend in the surrounding mountains and trails.

While I am not a big runner nor biker, I love hiking. I love that you can choose such different types of trails (hilly, more flat, in a woodsy area, in a more open field, etc.), you can choose different difficulties, and different hike lengths. And every time I go on a hike, I enjoy every part of it, and am so glad I went.

So, why haven't I been hiking more?? I can rent a car to get out of the city easily through my ZipCar membership, and not having a car to get out of the city is not an excuse!

I was inspired to pull out my "101 Great Hikes of the Bay Area" book a few nights ago. I'm embarrassed to say how many of those hikes I've actually done from that book. I'm not even going to tell you. But it's not a lot. And as I was reading through the book, many of them caught my eye...from hikes down the Peninsula to up in Marin and of course through the East Bay as well.

So friends, help me out! When I call you to see if you want to get up bright and early and go for a hike, please say yes! Eventually, I'll venture out and go on a few hikes alone, but baby steps people! For the first few, I want some company!

I'll be sure to keep you all posted and will share all of my experiences (and photos!) with everyone.

Until then, Happy New Year! Here's to a fun filled 2009!