Most people post a “what’s coming in the new year” post at the beginning of January. Since New Year’s Resolutions don’t make a lot of sense to me, this post is coming out a full 9 days into January. That will let all the craziness of new year resolution posts calm down a bit. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not against changes to make things better, I just think they should be done immediately rather than waiting for a new year to start.
Thank You
First off, I want to thank everyone that has supported Pale Spruce over the last year and a half. Whether you found a couple of posts through a search, read through the bikepacking 101 series, placed an order, or you are a friend/colleague that has offered support and encouragement, I truly thank you. Pale Spruce has not taken the world by storm (far from it), but that’s not what I’m trying to build. I’m trying to build safety kits and provide information that is helpful for cyclists/outdoor enthusiasts.
New Directions
Going forward, there will continue to be posts about bikepacking, singlespeeds, paracord, and riding with my kids. In addition to that, there will be some new content in an area I am calling “Path To Less”.
What exactly is the “Path To Less”? That’s a very good question that is not completely figured out yet. The idea for Path To Less started several months ago after becoming frustrated and burned out while working nights/weekends and sleeping on my couch for one of my IT projects. Then it became a much bigger part of my thoughts (that’s a scary place to visit by the way) after my mom had quadruple bypass surgery just before Christmas. For my otherwise healthy, fit, and active mom to go through that definitely scared the crap out of me. Since her surgery, I have spent a lot of time reading about heart healthy diets and watching documentaries on the positive effects of a whole foods based diet.
The Path To Less will include some diet information and probably some recipes. But “the path” is also a bigger topic that looks at clutter, stress, work/life balance, and finding simpler ways to enjoy each day. Cycling and outdoors definitely come into play because we can have more time for the fun activities if there is less of other things to pull us away.
We’ll see if this can all come together and make sense while also continuing posts on bikepacking and paracord. There are most likely other readers that have thought about these topics or have made changes to implement a path to less. If so, let me know what has worked for you or what you would be interested in learning more about. Also, if you have any material (articles, apps, books, etc) that have helped you on your path, feel free to share those.
Thanks again for your support and let’s see where this new path will lead.