Northerly Shaken

Lately I’ve been spending a lot of time in the kitchenette, leaning into the luxury of stationary life. As I work through my Mix and Match meal prepping, I’m acutely aware of the infrastructure I have backing me up right now. Today is Day 24 of my 60-day "TrailBlaze Back to Health," and my "Bunker Kitchen" setup is a powerhouse for restoration. I have access to a full-sized fridge, a mini chest deep freeze for vacuum-sealed meals, and ample pantry space. This allows me to use my full toolkit—vacuum sealer, induction burner, air fryer oven, and crockpot—to their maximum potential. I can prep weeks in advance, ensuring my fuel is secured even if a Trifecta flare-up hits. The Mobile Dilemma 🚐 To be clear, I don’t have plans to leave, and I’m grateful for this stability. However, life has taught me that things can change. I’ve had several "long-term" setups abruptly re-mobilize. Because of that, the Nomad in me is always asking: How would I pull this off if t...

 Day Twenty- Colouring Recovery It hasn’t snowed for a couple of days, thankfully. The shovels are leaned up against the wall and the paths are finally clear, but the work hasn't left me yet. To put it bluntly: I am sore. It’s the kind of soreness that settles deep into the joints, reminding me of every rotation and heavy lift required for that winter clearing. I’ve reached for a different kind of tool to help navigate the recovery. I opened a new toolbox: a set of coloured pencils. Today marks Day 20 of my 60-day "TrailBlaze Back to Health." It’s a deliberate journey of rebuilding, and this morning, that journey is happening on the page. For years, I believed in the "Death of the Artist." I thought the girl who drew had been permanently replaced by the woman who carried the rucksack, worked several plots of land as a farmer, and fished the sloughs of the Fraser. I figured my hands were now meant only for grit, not grace. But as I sit here, navigating a body tha...

Day Fourteen: The Two-Week Turning Point Two weeks down. They say the second week of any challenge is the hardest because the initial excitement wears off and the reality of the daily grind sets in. But hitting Day 14 is a massive milestone. It’s the point where trying something new starts to turn into a legitimate lifestyle shift. Today isn't about the workout; it’s about the scoreboard. Looking back at these first 14 days of the TrailBlaze, the consistency is showing up in ways that actually matter for my day-to-day life: •The Scale and The Gear: I’ve officially lost 5lbs. The best part isn't the number, though—it’s the fact that my snow pants are fitting much more loosely than they did last winter. Having gear that fits comfortably makes a huge difference when dealing with the winter elements. •Listening to My Gut: I have cut out meat almost entirely. My guts are never happy the day after I eat meat, and making this change has been a huge win for my daily comfort and ener...

Day Thirteen: Consistency Over Perfection I’m showing up. That is the win for today. We are on Day 13 of the 60-day TrailBlaze Back to Health, and the theme is simple: consistency over perfection. In the past, I’ve been guilty of the all-or-nothing mindset. If I couldn’t do the "perfect" workout, eat the "perfect" meal, or write the "perfect" post, I felt like I had failed. But when you’re managing the daily complexities of EDS, Hashimoto’s, and Endometriosis, perfection is an impossible bar to clear. Consistency is different. Consistency means that even when the cold has me locked up and the systemic fatigue is heavy, I still find a way to honor the commitment. Today, that meant getting some time in on my Equalizer bars and walking mat. It wasn’t a record-breaking pace, but it was movement. It was a choice to keep the gears turning when my body wanted to stay frozen. It also brought me back into the kitchen. I took the time to prep another batch of my v...

  Day Twelve of the 60-day TrailBlaze is hitting a little differently today. I am tired—deeply, bone-level tired—and the cold isn't just on the outside anymore; it feels like it has moved into my joints. We had to venture into the bitter cold to get supplies before the next big 'winter event', and just being in the frigid cold was exhausting. When you have EDS, the cold makes your muscles work double-time just to keep your joints stable. The physical drain is real, and it makes even a simple blog post feel like climbing a mountain. It is hard to stay motivated when your body feels like it is fighting the environment every second of the day. Some days, blazing a trail to health is about big movements and progress. But today, the healthiest thing I can do is acknowledge the exhaustion. The pain feels louder and the motivation feels thinner when you are this worn out. I am giving myself permission to hibernate a little. Day 12 isn't about a workout or a grand epiphany; it’...

Day Eleven: Calling It Quits. Smoking, I mean. It might be safe to say at this point that I’m done. I’m not sure if it’s being off work, not having a long commute for a while, or simply the fact that it’s stupid cold outside—but the urge has finally gone quiet. I haven’t felt the need to reach for a cigarette in a while, and that’s a win I’m ready to claim. I’m not making any grand "never again" proclamations, but the daily ritual is over. The "necessary vice" has lost its necessity. For the first time in a long time, I know I can turn it off. Shut it down. I’ve reached a point where I feel I can handle a stressful moment without it spiraling back into a pack-a-day habit. For me, that’s everything. In the past, I’ve always been an all-or-nothing person. I once quit for three full years, but then 2020 happened. As my life and career started to collapse, I found myself right back at a pack a day. I hated it, but I couldn't stop. Stress has a way of killing you s...