There are three things I feel like I never have enough time for: being in nature, talking with my girlfriends and exercising.
I am busy. I am busy running a business, raising two kids and two dogs, keeping my house intact, driving carpool and occasionally sneaking in a load of laundry or five. But I know that those three things -- friends, nature and exercise -- are critical to my wellbeing and happiness.
What’s an overcommitted mama bear to do?
As a master multi-tasker, the answer is simple. I combine all three and, at least twice a week, I head out on a three-mile walk in the woods with a friend. Where we go depends on the weather and how much time we have but my favorite is a three-mile walk down the dirt road that starts at the Sag Harbor Golf Course and ends at Barcelona Neck, which looks like this:
The road is sometimes sandy, sometimes muddy and a bit hilly. Up until last month, I wore an old pair of sneakers. They worked fine, except for the fact that I had worn through the treads on the bottom and the insole behind the heel. It was time to raise my game. But to what? Hiking boots seemed overkill but sneakers didn’t seem quite substantial enough.
So when Keen offered to send me a pair of their Terradora Waterproof light hikers to test, I jumped at the chance. And they are perfect. They have plenty of tread to make me secure on unstable trail but without the heavy clunky feel of my hiking boots. They are waterproof, which is important ‘cause my girls and I walk rain or shine, but breathable -- they don’t get hot like other waterproof boots I’ve tried.
Mostly, they are just easy. I don’t have to worry about what the weather is like or if it rained the day before. I don’t have to think about whether it is too hot or too cold. They are reliable and flexible. Like my girlfriends.
