MY ‘Why’
I hit major burnt out with work in the summer of 25’. My husband and I own a Corndoggies Food Truck and catering company and summers are our ‘GO’ time. We work 12 plus hour days and a day off is not really a thing. You’re on a hot truck standing over a 350 degree fryer and dipping corndogs as if your life depends on it. It has its moments of fun, but all in all, it can easily catch up to you and burn you up. (mentally, but sometimes physically)
Horsetooth Rock, Fort Collins, CO
Soaking in the sunshine and grounding on my first solo sunrise hike
I could feel the mental melt down coming on. My husband and I were not on the same page, always fighting about the businesses or work or something and yet, the truck had to run. As we are small business owners, I wear all the hats. So not only do I stock the truck, I drive the truck, work every shift, manage our staff, schedule and pay staff, book the truck, HR, social media, etc. I was sizzling up, fast! I hit the end of my rope and told my husband that something had to change. I couldn’t go on living like this. I lost myself and there had to be more to life than working everyday on a corndog truck. At the end of the day, it’s just corndogs, so why am I feeling like a dried up wiener!?
So I forced some days off and started to think about passions, who I was, what I like to do outside of work. All I discovered was…crickets. I went to google for some help. PLEASE tell me what I need to get out of this slump! Nothing seemed to come to mind until I actually relaxed and really did some inner self work. I looked into my past and made notes on what used to bring me joy. I made a “Passions” list and wrote down everything that I used to enjoy doing. Then I took it to the next step and wrote why I liked doing it and then created an action items to help me jump back into some of these passions.
The first one was HIKING! I have been on many, many hikes and really enjoyed getting outdoors. I used to go hiking with my family and hiked over a handful of 14ers in Colorado. I’ve explored Rocky Mountain National Park in the summer and winter. But when was the last time I went on a hike?!? It was 8 years ago! Why did I stop? Because my priorities shifted and I (in all honesty) lost a bit of myself. You know when you meet someone new and everything is fun and giddy and all you want to do is spend every second with that person? That was my husband. He became my priority and I stopped doing things for me. I started doing things he wanted to do because he didn’t really enjoy hiking. So if he wasn’t going to go, then why would I? I couldn’t go alone, that was crazy talk and I felt like I would rather do nothing and hang out with him then go solo and go for myself. This is not a dig at my husband. We all have different passions and interests and he just doesn’t enjoy the long hikes like I do and that’s ok!
So once I mentally broke down, I needed to find my inner peace again and hiking restored that for me. I went on a solo sunrise hike to Horsetooth Rock in Fort Collins, CO and was terrified. I knew I had to go alone and I needed to face the dark. There I was, sitting in my car in the pitch dark parking lot telling myself I could just drive somewhere to watch the sunrise instead. I didn’t have to hike in the dark alone. BUT, the point of me needing to do a solo sunrise hike was to show myself that I was capable, I was strong, I could go on a hike alone. If it was important to me, I needed to go.
So I got out of my car, turned on my headlamp and started walking. Once I was moving my body, I started to calm down and felt at peace! I sat on top of Horsetooth Rock, soaking in the sunshine and never felt so grounded. I proved to myself that I was capable of doing hard things and now that I took my first step at hiking alone, I was able to start hiking more often.
Solo Sunrise at Horsetooth Rock
One small step and lead to one huge reward
As an extrovert, doing something alone like this is a big deal. I want to share my experiences in live time with someone, have conversations that are filling, and never be alone with my own thoughts. As an almost 40 year old, it was time I figured out how to be ok with myself, on my own, doing something I loved for me and not for someone else. Finding what brings me joy and putting me first. I had to find the comfort of my own thoughts and silence.
And now, I love hiking solo. I love just getting up and going somewhere and not making plans with someone else. I love going at the speed I want to hike and taking the time to take the photos that really stand out to me.
But don’t get me wrong, I still enjoy the company of others and find so much joy in sharing a hike with someone.
So where does the name comes from? Sunny Joy Adventures? My name is SJ, short for Stephanie Joy. I never enjoyed the name Stephanie and was always trying to find a different name for myself. Nobody believed me when I said my name was Joy, (too cheerful I guess?) so I went with SJ and it stuck! Then when people would ask what SJ stood for, I would say, Sunshine Jones because I wanted to be called Sunny. :)
So as I started this adventure of getting outside for hikes and finding not only the joy but the healing powers of nature, I wanted my name to be about the light and uplifting. I also look for the small joys in every day and as I find many of my joys under the sun, it felt so fitting to be Sunny Joy Adventures.
I hope that by sharing my love for adventure, hiking and getting outside that I can help others feel comfortable and capable to go on a hike. It doesn’t have to be a solo hike, but I think it’s important to be able to go on one to know you can. For the introverts, I know this is what you would prefer, no people, so maybe it’s going on a hike with others. Sharing in the community of nature.
Notes:
The headlamp I used was a very old one that the elastic was crackling and had no more stretch to it. So I opted to upgrade after that hike. I purchased these headlamps that come in a pack of 2! This is great as you recharge them and can always have one ready to go. Or you can have a second one for the friend or person who joins you on a hike who may not have a headlamp.
