As we all know, the New Year is a time for reflection—a time for pulling out that list (from last year) full of want-to-dos and need-to-dos. In our household, celebratory lethargy has set in, thanks to bowl games accompanied by lots of food and drink. 

So, come the first of January, we like to keep it simple. As my mom would have said, “do something to engage those large muscle groups.” How about a hike?

Dave and I decided to take Margaret’s entrance to the Dreamy Draw. Ok, that’s what we call it, but it’s the trailhead located off of 16th and Morton. 

We parked alongside some condominiums, and passed through a tunnel that would take us under the interstate to a mass of trails. We arbitrarily chose one, which headed up to a peak looming before us. A large group of trail runners passed us, full New Years’ salutations and way too much energy. 

Whenever we hike without a plan, Dave is in his prime. He excels when in his “exploratory mode.” We wound our way from peak to peak, opting to take some side trails that ended up being only slightly scary: new trails, new beginnings.

Eventually, we made it to where we could see the bench where Dave proposed to me back in 2015. That bench will never grow old. From there, we looped back to the trailhead. As we approached the tunnel, we spotted a unicyclist on his way up the craggy hill. To each his own.

We returned home to engage another essential muscle group and tradition - a dinner of blackeyed peas and greens. Here’s to a new year full of love and laughter—along with a few pleasant surprises thrown in.