DR. BEN'S, THE MEADOW and A PRAYER

I was in a dilemma! 

Right before me was a beautiful, country meadow, sprinkled with wild flowers, butterflies, and oh yeah, 3 foot high, overgrown grass!*  But where was the trail? I saw the 3 white blazes on the tree by the road and a slit of an opening through the field. But, wait a minute!

HOLY MAMA! THAT WAS THE TRAIL!!!

HIKING TRAIL at the base of SCHUNEMUNK MT., NY

My heart raced as my past fears of bug bites, Lyme disease, chronic sickness, endless doctor’s appointments, tests, and the financial burden of it all, flooded my consciousness. What choice did I have? My husband was half way through the meadow already!

Well,  I could swelter in the parked car all day. Or, maybe, try to find another way around the field. But I didn’t know the area and my husband had the trail map.

Then it came to me. I have NOTHING  to worry about!  I’m not the same person that I was before. I am stronger, healthier and yes,… a bit wiser. All of those past fears that just popped up into my head are just that – in my past. I didn’t need to be afraid anymore. I have finally found protection on all fronts.

So, as I stood before this bucolic natural park, I felt a shift. A shift from fear and worry to  peace and calm.

This was a test.

Yes, I told myself that this... was simply….a test.

After all, I was protected. And I felt it.

I made sure that I liberally sprayed Dr. Ben’s Cedar Oil Repellent ** from my head to my hiking shoes. And before I stepped into the field, I paused for just a second, closed my eyes and said a little prayer:

“I’m protected by God’s light. I’m protected by God’s love and light.”

I opened my eyes as I heard my husband’s impatient voice in the distance calling, “What are you waiting for?”

What was I waiting for?

 I WAS PROTECTED!

 I HAD NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT!

I believed that this was a test. And I was determined to pass with flying colors. So, as I briskly trekked through the tall grass, wild flowers and butterflies, I continued to say my little prayer.

And when I successfully navigated through the second field (yes, there was another field just like the first!) and carefully inspected myself afterwards, I was one happy and relieved trekker!

I WAS OK!

  

I WAS ABSOLUTELY FINE!

I did not attract one single biting bug that day. Not one bug bite. Not one tick. 

I was protected…  and I knew it.

I felt it.

And that calls for a big  AMEN and a heartfelt thank you to Dr. Ben's!



* This is not a typical trail. If it was, I wouldn't be hiking!

**I have no financial interest in Dr. Ben's Insect Repellents

HIKING IN NY and NJ

“The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely or unhappy is to go outside,  somewhere where they can be quite alone with the heavens, nature and God…I firmly believe that nature brings solace in all troubles.”  ― Anne Frank, The Diary of a Young Girl

View from Sam's Point Preserve, N.Y.

Thanks to my husband, I have become an avid hiker and now we are on the trails of N.J. or N.Y. every weekend rain or shine all year round.  Thanks to Dr. Ben’s Personal Insect Repellent, I can honestly say that I feel protected from the pesky biting bugs, especially ticks. Thanks to an amazing self-help therapy, shown to me by Dr. Goodsoul  (See I Think I'm Getting the Fear),  my fear of bites leading to sickness,  is finally fading away.  And last but not least... I’m especially thankful  for discovering   the joy,  wonder and challenges of exploring Mother  Nature’s playground… and being a kid all over again.

Little Long Pond and Lake Kanawauke at Harriman State Park, NY.

Verkeerder Kill Falls,  Sam's Point N.Y.

Ice Caves at Sam's Point Preserve, NY

Lake Skenonto at Harriman State Park, NY

My furry Jersey friend

My  little orange friend along a wet trail in Jersey