Hello loves! My name is Jill Gallien and I’m a Boston native now living in LA. As long as I can remember I’ve wanted to live in this beautiful city, but I never imagined that living here would awaken my soul and bring out a fantastically creative side of myself. I have been told college is where you find out who you really are, but for me that wasn’t the case. It took changing coasts to bring out the radiance in me. Speaking of radiance, I’m lover of sunshine because good weather makes me want to get out of bed early instead of staying in my dark bedroom, nestled under layers of blankets to keep warm in the Boston winter. Sunshine encourages me to seize the day and to get outside and enjoy nature. Luckily for me, there is never a shortage of sunshine in California so I can enjoy the outdoors year round.
I started hiking because gorgeous mountains, a topography I was formally unfamiliar with, surround me in Los Angeles. Hiking at first was a challenge because I suffer from cervical stenosis, a narrowing of the spinal canal, which causes chronic pain and limits my physical activity. I was scared to try any new exercises, because I knew the onset of post workout pain would be intense. Despite my fear of increased pain, I couldn’t help but keep looking out my window at the sunshine and mountains and wonder if it was possible for me to hike. I really wanted to try it so I gave myself a pep talk, laced up my sneakers and set off for the trails!
I started with short hikes, drank protein shakes for post workout muscle recovery, gave myself ample time to rest, stretched and iced my neck after each hike. After a few months, I built up my muscle strength and my recovery time became minimal. Wow, I overcame fear and in the process found a way to actually help my pain decrease by building up my muscle strength. Not only has hiking been a game changer for my physical health, the connection to nature and the realization of how beautiful the world is along with the strong desire to discover as much of it as I can, has opened my soul and brought about an inspiration that I want to share.
Adventure and travel have always been exciting to me and now I can group hiking into my explorations. It brings me a feeling of accomplishment that I overcame my fear, and each time I hike a new trail, I relive that euphoric feeling. I began writing about my adventures and sharing my experiences on my blog Fruit Stand Fresh, that I created after moving to LA. I’ve been a writer and a poet since I was 14 and now finally I’ve found the desire to share my journey with others. I never could have imagined that moving to Los Angeles would bring out the most creative side of myself; writing and sharing the inspiration I find in adventure is something I truly LOVE! Moving from east coast to west coast has awakened my soul and changed my perspective on life.
How Moving Awakened My Soul / October 10, 2016/© Jill E. Gallien
