Now, Let’s Begin!
Birth is the ultimate beginning. Each new parent patiently waits nine months to meet their little one and begin the big adventure. With this beginning comes one of the purest forms of joy but also restless nights and extreme fatigue. I co-created the Fernie Mountain Mamas instagram to combat how tired I was as a new mom to inspire myself, as well as others, to push through. To begin again, each day, and really go after it! Whatever “it” is that makes you feel grateful to be alive and eager to jump out of bed.
They say September is a time for new beginnings, but I would challenge that each moment is an opportunity to be reborn and to follow your curiosity into the unknown. I encourage everyone this month to put each plan into motion as soon as the idea sparks. Habitually, I like to start new things on Mondays. There’s something about the beginning of the week, the fresh start after a busy weekend with your first coffee of the day. But then something happens and my sails lose their wind. A Monday happens, I suppose. Statistically Mondays score as the lowest day of productivity in the workplace. Upon honest reflection, I do not actually like to begin new ventures on Mondays but instead procrastinate over the weekend that I will begin healthy eating or roasting my own coffee beans or going for a run on Monday in order to put it off. And now, as a mother, I rarely know what day it is and find it difficult to begin new tasks amidst the demands of parenthood. Enter: Fernie Mountain Mamas. A collective group and ideal to inspire new beginnings amongst new parents. To celebrate that the time to start something new and to get outside is only ever NOW. Not tomorrow, not Monday, but now.
Becoming a Mountain Mama has introduced me to so many new incredible women and families in Fernie. Individuals that motivate me to keep my fernie stoke alive. To take my son, Lennox, outside and show him why we love Fernie and why we choose the mountains as our home. In Fernie, connecting is what we do best as a community. We are also lucky to have such an extensive network of programs that offer guidance and support in pursuit of our new beginnings, whether it be as new parents or new to town.
Human motivation works best when paired with accountability. Finding your tribe is central to fuelling your ambition and overcoming new challenges. As a new mom, spending time with other parents has been my saviour. We cheer one another on in the middle of the trail when we need to suddenly stop and deal with a stage three blowout! If you’re ever feeling like a new beginning is too hard or that you’ll get to it next Monday, phone a friend. Phone a fellow Mountain Mama and explore the outdoors together, strollers in tow. The time is now. So now, let’s begin!
Are you also a Fernie Mountain Mama? Please feel free to share your outdoor adventures, family stories and photos by writing to ferniemountainmamas@gmail.com, or hashtag #ferniemountainmamas to encourage more parents to take their little ones outdoors and share in all the fun that Fernie has to offer.
Happy beginnings!