The Gift of Kindness
            In this season of cultures celebrating a shift from dark to light, special foods, and the magic of giving, I am reminded of simple gifts we can share.
            We recently visited a popular nature preserve where cars wait in line for a spot in the main parking lot, the only one featuring a bathroom. The lot was full, so I pulled off to one side with flashers on so my husband could take our severely autistic son to the bathroom, planning to then drive to a farther parking area.
            A man in a pickup truck called out and asked if we wanted his parking spot.
            “Your son looks like he might be having a hard time,” he said, explaining his offer.
            He’d seen our son walking with a stern face, hunched shoulders, and gripping my husband’s arm. This is normal mode for Sean, but appeared to the man as being in distress. He wanted to make things easier.
            As I profusely thanked him for his kind offer, but said we were happy to find another spot, another driver waved to me saying they were leaving and that we could have their spot. I often feel tears well when people reach out in recognition that our family has extra challenges, though we plod along doing our best not to attract attention.
            Simple acts of good will reverberate and expand, and require no greater resources than a positive spirit and small actions.
            May we all have the good fortune to receive simple kindnesses, and to offer them.
            This week’s Hike Notes, Baylands Nature Preserve, leads readers on a flat, easy walk along the water and marshes of Palo Alto’s photogenic nature preserve.
            Click Insights/Hike Update News for inspiring reflections. Browse hikes on the main Hikes page or on the Hike Search by Area (was Quick View Hike List) page. Click World Walks to see or share favorite family-friendly walks! Stay in touch with Lisa Louis and HikingAutism via Contact. The Links page lists a loose collection of helpful information links.
            Check the Home page for the broader background story. If you’re not able to take one of these Northern California hikes, hopefully you can enjoy the photo galleries at the bottom of each hike page! Please feel free to share, and follow on Twitter at @HikingAutism
New this week:
Hike Notes 173: Baylands Nature Preserve

Twilight Tranquility
            On any given day, my mind rotates through repeating stress factors: work deadlines, bills to pay, car and house repairs, loved ones with health problems, concerns about my severely autistic son’s future.
            Finding an off switch for worries seems impossible. A worrywart from early childhood, I have spent decades trying to regulate the flow of anxious thoughts about past, present, future and imagined problems.
            Physically engaging activities like exercise and hands-on tasks requiring concentration such as playing a musical instrument or creating art have been shown in studies to distract from anxiety more effectively than endeavors like reading a book, watching a movie, or meditating, though those can help.
            The thing that has brought me peace from earliest memories is being active outdoors. Nature’s dazzling displays—brilliant sunrises and sunsets for a start—have an entrancing power that stops my spinning cycle of thoughts. I stare at the sky, and everything except the colorful spectacle above melts from my mind.
            If I could bottle and sell the calming force of sunset views, I’d be a billionaire. Though we can’t totally eliminate worry from our lives, we can spend more time focusing on goodness and beauty, which declutters the mind.
            May we all find the peaceful magic of the great outdoors as we stumble through life. Keep putting one foot forward!
            This week’s HikingAutism Hike Notes from the archives is Tennessee Valley Fox Trail, a Marin Headlands trail that offers soft, rolling rises and descents and the opportunity to see sunsets over the Pacific horizon.
 
This week’s Hike Notes from the Archives:
(Original Hike Notes 42): Tennessee Valley Fox Trail
 
            Click Insights/Hike Update News for inspiring reflections. Browse hikes and photo galleries via the main Hikes page or the Hike Search by Area (was Quick View Hike List) page. Click World Walks to see or share favorite walks from readers! Stay in touch with Lisa Louis and HikingAutism via Contact. The Links page lists a loose collection of helpful information links.
            Check the Home page for the broader background story. Please feel free to share, and follow on Twitter at @HikingAutism

As the Leaves Fall
            Colorful leaves, fallen but still supple with residual moisture, lie next to brown leaves curled into crumbling shadows of their former selves.
            The sepia-toned crunchy leaves are as beautiful as their younger, less-withered neighbors. Like people, they’ve earned their wrinkles and broken edges.
            I’ve recently read about letting fallen leaves lie in yards to provide habitat for insects and other creatures who use them as part of their transition through autumn and winter.
            Fallen leaves on a hiking trail have always added a magical charm for me, but now I also see the leaves covering my yard with a more appreciative eye. In our drought-prone area, they not only support small creatures but also help retain moisture in our sandy soil.
            Whether reaching out to touch a faded leaf or a hand marked by wrinkles and arthritic joints, may we all appreciate the life that persevered to that point.
            This week’s Hike Notes, Purisima Creek Trail from Higgins Canyon Road, takes readers along a deep forest trail that features a refreshing combination of redwoods and oak, marked by patches of moss and fern on a path paralleling a creek.
            Click Insights/Hike Update News for inspiring reflections. Browse hikes on the main Hikes page or on the Hike Search by Area (was Quick View Hike List) page. Click World Walks to see or share favorite family-friendly walks! Stay in touch with Lisa Louis and HikingAutism via Contact. The Links page lists a loose collection of helpful information links.
            Check the Home page for the broader background story. If you’re not able to take one of these Northern California hikes, hopefully you can enjoy the photo galleries at the bottom of each hike page! Please feel free to share, and follow on Twitter at @HikingAutism
New this week:
Hike Notes 172: Purisima Creek Trail from Higgins Canyon Road

Walking Together Apart
            Just over a year ago, our older son moved to London for his job. Explaining to our severely autistic son Sean that his big brother wouldn’t be sleeping nearby, sitting on the sofa together, or walking hand in hand on a trail was mission impossible.
            Sean’s limited language makes communicating complicated ideas difficult, so we use visual tools in addition to words. Sean loves maps, but no matter how many times we spun the globe and pointed to San Francisco where we live and then London where his brother would live, Sean’s face didn’t register understanding.
            Big brother will soon be home for the first time since he left for London, visiting for the holidays. For autistic Sean, that may also be difficult to understand. Having people appear and disappear, or only appear as a talking head on a phone screen, can be confusing.
            Years ago, on our older son’s first visit home after three months away at college, he walked in and sat next to Sean on the sofa.
            “Hey Seanie!” he said, trying to get Sean to acknowledge him.
            Sean sat with his face focused on his previous activity. He registered his brother’s presence using peripheral vision several times, but didn’t look at him directly, say his name, or hug him. It was as if he didn’t believe his big brother was truly home.
            After ten minutes of our older son being quietly present next to him, Sean turned his head toward his brother. He looked in his eyes for a long time, leaned his forehead to touch his forehead, sniffed his neck (a classic Sean greeting), and then sunk into a long hug.
            Emotions can be overwhelming for any of us, but can be especially hard to process for a person on the autism spectrum. Whether it takes ten seconds, ten minutes, or ten hours, when his brother comes home for the holidays, Sean will eventually sink into that long hug and enjoy walking hand in hand with his brother on our holiday hikes.
            Living far away from loved ones is hard, but staying in contact in some way other than face-to-face presence helps us stay together in spirit. Happy trails to everyone this holiday season!
            This week’s HikingAutism Hike Notes from the archives is Gray Whale Cove Trail, which leads hikers up a very steep hill that offers striking views of the ocean and Route 1 at the southern edge of Pacifica.
 
This week’s Hike Notes from the Archives:
(Original Hike Notes 93): Gray Whale Cove Trail
 
            Click Insights/Hike Update News for inspiring reflections. Browse hikes and photo galleries via the main Hikes page or the Hike Search by Area (was Quick View Hike List) page. Click World Walks to see or share favorite walks from readers! Stay in touch with Lisa Louis and HikingAutism via Contact. The Links page lists a loose collection of helpful information links.
            Check the Home page for the broader background story. Please feel free to share, and follow on Twitter at @HikingAutism