Moving Through Life
On grief, recovery, and the decision to keep moving when life gives you every reason to stop.
I lost my wife Cheryl in 2023 after 34 years together and two years of stage four cancer. Then in October 2025 I survived a widow-maker heart attack — the kind where the EMTs don't make small talk on the way to the hospital. And on May 4th I will turn 71 with more trail miles ahead of me than behind me. At least that's the plan. This is where I write about the hard stuff. Staying in shape when your body has been through something hard. What grief actually looks like six months in, and beyond. The difference between slowing down and stopping — and why that difference is everything. Motion is lotion for the body and soul. This is the proof
Outdoor Fitness Solutions
On Grief
"It doesn't end. It changes shape. Learning to carry it is different from learning to lose it. Being outside helped me survive — not because nature fixes grief, but because motion keeps you in your body when your mind wants to leave it."
On recovery
"After a widow-maker, cardiac rehab is not optional. It's also, unexpectedly, one of the better things that's happened to me. Coming back to movement after something knocks you down is hard. The first week is the hardest. After that, momentum starts working for you.
On getting older
On getting older
"71 is not old. It is thoroughly lived-in. The goal is not to move like you're 30. The goal is to move like the best version of 71. Find the thing that makes you forget you're exercising. For me it's a trail. Find yours."