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Middle-Pause

We are the voices of women who encourage, inspire, and empower each other to live lives of meaning and purpose. We are women in the middle.

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A Love Story

How Do I Love Thee, My Little Hiking Sticks?

Let me count the ways.

2 min readFeb 12, 2024

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Photo by Julie Yost

How do I love thee, my newly bought hiking sticks?
Let me count the ways.

I love thee to the depth and breadth and elevation (or slight incline)
My soul can attempt.

When overcome with the need to get off my butt and out the door. I love thee to the level of every day’s most quiet need, to keep me vertical on the trail instead of horizontal.

Dusty and crying and horrified on the ground.

I love thee freely as I lean on your strength and solid connection when I trip, and you catch me at the last second and I avoid the multiple rocks scattered about the ground.

I love thee purely, as I know you are doing your job to keep me from fracturing my wrist or pelvis and what’s left of my pride.

I love thee with my passion put to use on the trail because that seems to be the only place I find passion these days.

I love thee with a love bestowed on inanimate objects, like stuffed animals from childhood but with more affection because those objects could not save my life.

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Middle-Pause
Middle-Pause

Published in Middle-Pause

We are the voices of women who encourage, inspire, and empower each other to live lives of meaning and purpose. We are women in the middle.

Amy Strommer
Amy Strommer

Written by Amy Strommer

Amy Strommer writes about motherhood, life, and other 3 a.m. topics. Though humor is her love language, sometimes a serious piece will land on the page.

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