Being speechless has never been a familiar roll for VEHI PATH. And yet we’ve been just that the past few days. Honestly, we’ve felt that way for several months now. The part that has rendered us so stems from the deep division and pain people have expressed over their disagreements and even flat out shame related to election day. It’s not our place to take sides or claim a position or political party. We do, however, hear much from all of you and know the fear you’ve expressed. From all corners, we’ve felt your deep unease.

Now that much has been decided, much is coming to light, and what we see here in Vermont, especially in Vermont schools, is a brightness that seems to rush toward kindness and compassion, and the resolve to get along above all else. Our members are seeking out healing, forgiveness and a vision of a way forward; a way of strength, a way where everyone is heard and a way where collaboration reigns freely.

Rugged optimism is the Vermont way and it rings vociferously and loquaciously among you (how’s that, English teacher friends?). Plainly put, you are the most resilient bunch we know, not afraid to share your strategies for such, and we remain speechless at your wisdom and grace, even as you mourn or swoon over this week’s outcome.

From the outside looking in, we have no fear that you will bring Vermont schools through this towering change in American history with great dignity and a massive can-do, collective hug. Hope lies in your commitment to each other and to what’s best for Vermont families.

If for any reason you continue to struggle with Tuesday’s outcome or it’s aftermath, do not hesitate to access VEHI PATH resources for support:

Invest EAP (1-800-287-2173) for stress management and crisis or short term counseling or Progress Coaching (log into your PATH account on www.tomypath.com and click on the coach icon) for facilitated help accessing your best thinking.

Thank you for all you do, for who you are and for being OUR Vermont family.

Gillian, Shevonne, Amy and the VEHI PATH Team.

Final Week!

The Sizzlin’ Summer Challenge has one more task for you: add a healthy food to your back-to-school days.

Now is the time to create a routine that bolsters you all year.

Add a smoothie, a healthy muffin, some veggies, nuts, yogurt, organic eggs or whole grain cereal (see links below and a recipe idea). How about some green tea with fresh lemon to help take out the acidity or other foods in your diet? Though lemon has a reputation for being “acidic” in flavor, it is reduces acid in your system. Grains and meats, coffee and alcohol can raise the acid in your system as you digest it. An acid environment in your system can lead to inflammation. Veggies, fruit, yogurt and other fermented products known to be “probiotics” help reduce acid and inflammation. Warm lemon water is a great and easy start to the day. Add some green tea and you’ve got a one-two punch with powerful antioxidants.

The point is, work on creating a new habit with respect to food during your work-day this year and you’ll be better fueled to face any tough issues thrown your way.

Habit is crazy mixed up skill.

A recent Fresh Air interview with Neuroscientist Frances Jensen reminds us that we are all subject to what she lovingly (and informally) refers to as “The Dementia of the Preoccupied.” Meaning, “we don’t dwell on any one task long enough to make it solid in our mind.” In other words, you’re not losing it, you’re just not soaking things up or giving them a chance. When asked, in the final moments of the interview, what’s the best way we can protect our brains, she told us to allow time to reflect on what we’ve done in a given day and what’s gone well.

Research is clear that the brain loves reinforcement and reassurance. If that reflection entails beating yourself up, you may want to rethink the patterns on which you dwell. If you spend the week taking that extra step of gratitude and positive health efforts, when you reflect at the end of the day, chances are you’ll be satisfied and your inner conscience can begin to really lift you up.

“The present is the ever-moving shadow that divides yesterday from tomorrow. In that lies hope.” – Frank Lloyd Wright

Good luck in the final week of the Sizzlin’ Summer Challenge 2016! And please celebrate what you’ve done to this point for your health. You’ve earned it.

Eat well, move well, be well, think well.

See you on the PATH Ahead.

Gillian, Shevonne, Amy and the VEHI PATH TEAM.

Cool Mid-day snack idea:

Calories: 151 | Protein: 32g | Carbs: 5g

1/2 cup plain non-fat greek yogurt

1 Scoop vanilla protein powder

½ tsp vanilla

Berries of your choice

Whisk the yogurt, protein powder, and vanilla. Divide mixture into a mini muffin silicone mold/pan (or you could use a parchment lined loaf pan). Top each yogurt cup with berry of choice. Freeze until hardened. Pop out the individual bites and enjoy! Makes about one dozen mini muffin-size bites.

Fitnss Magazine’s Paloe breakfast ideas – click here. http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/weight-loss/plans/paleo/paleo-breakfast-ideas/

Lunch Ideas: http://greatist.com/eat/paleo-lunch-recipes

Cheap Healthy Lunch Ideas from EatingWell.com http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/22371/mealtimes/lunch/budget/for-work/slideshow/cheap-healthy-lunch-ideas-for-work/?quicktabs_1=1&quicktabs_1=1

Start your day in a new healthy way?

Well, we could start this blog entry simply by hoisting the following Latin cliche:

Carpe Diem.

And leave it there. But of course, there’s so much behind that!

Seize the day is the translation we’ve embraced in popular culture. Firm Latin scholars (yes, they still exist and they’re a fun bunch), would tell you that the popular idea is a bit of a misnomer.

The literal translation of Carpe is “to pluck” and the phrase actually means, pluck the day when it’s fully ripe. It still means “go for it” and capitalize, in a way, but to go for it at its best; to enjoy it in full and make the best of the bounty of life.

The day is full of bloom and glory, a host of juicy, sweet and savory bits. Sometimes it gets a little bruised and messy, but on the whole, the sun has risen and you’re here and you’re able. So we’re simply saying, before it gets complicated, take a minute to soak up the joy of being fully alive and pluck what you want to be wonderful with the day sitting right in front of you.

A hearty breakfast, a healthy (but yummy) snack, a moment with a loved one, a savored cup of warm coffee or tea, a snuggle with a furry friend, a walk, a good book or newspaper, a stretch (or several), a prayer or meditation (or both), an exercise class with pals… These are just a few common ideas that set you up well. But it really can be anything; anything that sets puts joy first.

Research has been robust around the idea of positive thinking. Journaling has been shown to be very effective in achieving goals, working out difficult decisions, and getting things off your chest. It’s also proven important in helping shift away from negative thoughts. Journaling about curiosity, gratitude, hope, love, bravery, zest, and other marvelous moments of character, sets you up for a positive day with better internalized thought processes and plans. The same is true for the night time. Write down three things that went well that day and you’ll sleep more soundly. It’s not rocket science and it’s free and accessible. Why don’t we do it? Life is busy and it’s hard to believe that which is free could be so powerful. After so much conditioning that we are not enough without this or that material thing, it’s hard to adjust. But it is possible.

You have what you need inside you. Every inspirational book, movie or song tells us so. Why not start your day believing it. Why not “Pluck” believing in yourself and your positive energy from the very waking moment of the day, and make it marvelous? It’s really up to you.

Here’s a parting word from, Mr. Emerson to press the point:
“Write it on your heart
that every day is the best day in the year.
He is rich who owns the day, and no one owns the day
who allows it to be invaded with fret and anxiety.

Finish every day and be done with it.
You have done what you could.
Some blunders and absurdities, no doubt crept in.
Forget them as soon as you can, tomorrow is a new day;
begin it well and serenely, with too high a spirit
to be cumbered with your old nonsense.

This new day is too dear,
with its hopes and invitations,
to waste a moment on the yesterdays.”

― Ralph Waldo Emerson, Collected Poems and Translations

See you on the PATH Ahead,

Gillian, Shevonne, Amy and the PATH team.

This week’s challenge is to share your favorite photos of “doing what makes you happy.”   According to the Dali Lama, “The purpose of our lives is to be happy,” and with that in mind, the PATH Facebook page should soon be overflowing with new postings.  Of course, because we are all unique human beings, what brings us joy is infinite.  Maybe it’s a favorite food, a song, a special thank you, a dance party or a cuddle with someone you love?  Maybe it’s helping someone less fortunate or caring for an elder or a child?  Maybe it’s learning a new skill or watching reruns of beloved TV comedies.

As we all know, our individual happiness often ebbs and flows.  We can be ecstatic one day and down in the dumps the following day. Happiness scientists (yes, they do exist ) suggest that despite the highs and lows, we all eventually return to our normal range of happiness.  Thus, if one wants to kick their happiness quotient up a few notches and keep it there, the recipe for success is to be kind and help others, appreciate each moment, nourish important relationships and pursue the goals near and dear to our hearts.

If you haven’t already begun jotting down what you are grateful for each day, perhaps this is the week to grab a notebook and pen and get going.  Or how about taking on a 30 day gratitude photo challenge?  Take a photo each day of something you are grateful for and at the month’s end, create a collage to remind you of what you discovered.  Or how about signing up to help with a new community project?  It so feeds the soul as several VSBIT employees will attest to after packing hundreds of boxes of food for the Food Bank in Barre and painting dog agility equipment at the Central Vermont Humane Society.  Lastly, keep striving toward whatever goal is rocking your boat at the moment.

Summer, for most Vermont educators is a time of replenishment, relaxation and reflection.  We’ve had plenty of sunshine to add to our Vitamin D coffers and I’ve seen plenty of smiles and heard plenty of laughter as I travel around the state. VEHI PATH’s summer went into full swing when we arrived at the Mountaintop Inn in Chittenden for the annual June institute.  We spent four days and evenings with school employees from 14 supervisory unions, discovering spirit animals and creating totems, dabbling in a variety of outdoor and indoor fitness-related activities, gushing about the scenery, appreciating the tranquility and investing in how to make our lives and the lives of others a bit better. To top it off, on the solstice under a gorgeous full moon, I learned my daughter-in-law had just given birth to my second grandchild, Shea Margaret.

When Gillian, Amy, Larae and I returned to the office, we hunkered down, created the next (what we hope will be) intriguing 2017 PATH Adventure and cooked up a variety of ways to assist you all in living your best lives.   I am now headed west first to help my daughter move into her dorm in southern California and then to honor and celebrate the National Park centennial, by hiking and camping in Yosemite. As a parting adieu, I can’t resist adding this song to the blog. While scores of people like its upbeat jingle, it also has its detractors.  Feel free to sing along.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQG89cwhmJU

See you on the PATH ahead.

Shevonne, Gillian and Amy

Why exercise someplace new?  Because by doing so, you can reinvigorate your energy, address your curiosity, challenge your endurance on a different terrain, gain appreciation for the beauty of a pristine environment and connect with new people and cultures.

While France was not on my radar screen this summer, New France (the province of Québec) is only a few hundred miles up the road and the cycling trails and provincial parks are outstanding.   So, along with my map aficionado, (that’s my partner, Patrick) and our adventuresome friends from Scituate, Massachusetts, we bicycled among fields of wheat and the forever “strawberry fields” of Ile d’Orléans (the residents grow a sweet strawberry that is harvested repeatedly throughout the summer and early fall), took notice of the multiple historic stone farmhouses and churches and made several purchases of local chocolate, wine and cheese.

If you haven’t yet visited Île d’Orléans, I implore you to put it on your bucket list. One of the first settlements in New France, several descendants of the original 300 founding families continue to reside here.  Only 10 miles from Quebéc City, the island has remained rural and the scenery from all vantage points is exquisitely beautiful.

On another day we cycled around the outskirts of Quebéc City, successfully confronting a massive downpour without incident thanks to the roof of a Petro-Canada station, jumped onto a rail trail and stumbled across Wedanke, a Huron-Wendat First Nation, located within the confines of Quebec City. After a scrumptious brunch at Sagamite Restaurant Terrasse, one of the reserve’s restaurants, where we witnessed celebratory drumming, we meandered up to their local museum grounds.  There we talked with a tribal historian and learned Wedanke is the only remaining Huron community in all of Canada.  The word “huron”, was never one the tribe appreciated because in Old French, the word means having hair standing in bristles on the head, like the head of a wild boar.

On a third day we ventured into the Charlevoix region capturing the day’s end with a hike on a La Chouenne Trail with magnificent viewpoints of the valley and of the face of Mont du Gros Bras trail within the Parc national des Grands-Jardins.  There we reveled in the breathtaking Laurentian Mountains and the St. Lawrence River. This park, first established in 1981 by the Quebec government, was named for the carpets of ground lichen and the exceptional Arctic vegetation at this latitude. Though we weren’t lucky enough to see any, we learned that caribou often roam within the park’s boundaries.

Bicycling has been one of my passions since childhood.  I maintain there’s no better way to learn about communities and cultures than to travel on their roadways, peruse their homes and gardens and strike up conversations with local shop owners, farmers and whomever else one finds. Not only did our bodies get a good work-out over our three day journey but we also gained a bit more command of the French language including the rolling of our “r’s”.

Where has this summer taken you?  What new places have you found to walk, hike, swim, paddle, cycle, stretch, jog, horseback ride or scull? We are all ears and eyes. Au revoir.

Bonne Journée.

See you on the PATH Ahead.

Shevonne, Gillian and Amy

Enjoy the Moment!

As August creeps along, we realize, in the blink of an eye we’ll be back at school and going strong.

Part of our goal for the rest of summer is to get you ready for the onslaught of “back to school”, to ease you in and help you turn the corner with grace. AND, yet, we don’t want to rush even one second of it!

Summer is sacred. Period.

This summer has been absolutely beautiful. Now is the time to practice being in the moment and soaking up the good. Practice makes perfect, no matter what’s going on. If you get great at taking a breath and soaking in joy, when chaos hits, you’ll be fully prepared to ease on down the road.

In 1939, the British Ministry of Information wanted to improve morale in the UK as war with the Nazis loomed and invasions seemed imminent. They wanted to iterate that should a blitz happen, we’ll all get through it. Thus the now infamous poster was printed “Keep Calm and Carry on”. Two other posters made it out to the public: “Your Courage, Your Cheerfulness, Your Resolution, Will Bring Us Victory” and “Freedom is in Peril. Defend it with all your might.” Unlike those two, Keep Calm went into storage with the idea that they’d wait until an actual attack and then post them after. Epic fail. The Blitz did happen, as we know, and no one in their right mind had it in them to run around and put up what now seemed like a terribly patronizing message. The posters were pulped to save paper for more important war efforts and the whole campaign was scrapped.

Before the war the message was simple and smart reminding all that “we’ve got this”; helping them feel a collective sense of being stronger together and unwavering by simple virtue of who they are as a people. And in concert with the other posters, it would have been a trifecta of spirit and grace. But after the strikes it became a mockery, a divisive distortion of character.

What a missed opportunity.

That’s why we say, seize the moment and soak it up. When the blitz comes, and make no mistake, today’s version of stress can feel as confounding as old school invasions, you want to be ready and bolstered by the memory of all things good.

What does really enjoying the moment look like? Deep breaths, savoring, being here now and nowhere else, being fully aware. Listening, hearing, reflecting, tasting, feeling, loving and relaxing. And if your mind wanders away from the moment you’re in, it’s fine. Just bring it back. The point is to do it, experience it so it remains solid in your mind in perpetuity. Without these opportunities, your memoires will end up in a warehouse where they are no longer relevant. For example, will you remember a great sunset experience with loved ones and be able to pull on that in the deep of winter when you’re feeling worn out; or will you only have a “head-down-texting” or a “brooding-over-an-old-grudge” movie reel.

“Life will not stop for you, your pain or your problems or anything. So at some point you have to move on,” said 18 year old Yusra Mardini, a Syrian refuge who fled her homeland in 2015. She was in a boat that capsized near Turkey and she helped swim it to safety for over 3 hours. She finally ended up in Munich 25 days later with only her sister and a small backpack to her name. She’s now swimming for gold in the Rio Olympics 2016. She is the modern icon of the British Ministry’s 1939 intended message. Yusra teaches that when life is sweet it feeds us in bad times and keeps the human spirit free, no matter what oppression brings.

Don’t miss the moments. Savor them and live large whenever possible. Plaster the walls of you heart and mind with messages of optimism and resolve today! And oh the stories you’ll have to fill your soul for the future — the future of your dreams.

This week’s challenge is to check out your local library.  I’m all for this, perhaps because it’s in my blood.  I’m from Pittsburgh, home once to Andrew Carnegie, the industrialist who after making his fortune in the steel industry, provided millions in funds to create public libraries open  to individuals of all social classes across the country and the world.

Crediting his accessibility to books as the reason for his enormous success, Carnegie believed that a library outranks any other one thing a community can do to benefit its people.  “It is a never failing spring in a desert,” he said.

First funding libraries in places where he had a personal connection, namely Dunferminet, Scotland, his birthplace and southwestern Pennsylvania, in 1899 Carnegie chose to expand upon his mission. Twenty years later, in 1919, when the Carnegie Foundation provided its final grant, the US had 3,500 libraries, nearly half of which had been built with his funds.  That certainly sounds like an amazing feat.  Hip hip, hooray, Andrew.  Your legacy lives on today.

In Vermont, thanks to the commitment from the Bellows Falls, Morristown, Fair Haven and Burlington communities, four Carnegie funded libraries were constructed and celebrated their 100^th anniversaries a few years ago.  Perhaps this is the week to explore them all. Or, if not – there are 179 other libraries within reach thanks to post-civil war women’s club movers and shakers and prosperous hometown donors.  Crammed full of literature, audio books and activities for children and folks of all ages, these libraries will make your hearts sing with joy and enrich your mind’s eye.

As I passed through Barre the other day, I noted that the Aldrich Library’s Wednesday night summer author series is in full swing. On the docket in August is John Carafoli, a food writer, John and Jennifer Churchman, picture book authors and illustrators of the now famous, Sweet Pea and Friends book and former chief justice, Jeffrey Amestoy.

You might want to pick up a Vermont summer library passport at any one of 107 participating libraries and travel around the state collecting a variety of passport stamps.  This event, sponsored by the Vermont Library Association, is open to adults, young adults and children.  At summer’s end, each library will determine which patrons from each category have visited the most libraries and the winners will take home a small prize.

Also, keep in mind that several Vermont libraries have discounted passes for the ECHO Science Center, Shelburne Farms, Shelburne Museum, Vermont history museums and state historical sites and parks.

In my own backyard, eager to find something new to read, I stopped by the Grand Isle Free Library the other evening.  Housed in a small red brick building that once served as the town hall, stacks and stacks of books line the shelves.

Because of our town’s size, if one frequents the library, it doesn’t take long before the librarian knows your first name and which genre strikes your fancy. Kathy was eager to be of assistance.  Lo and behold, I am first in line to borrow the brand new Harry Potter sensation – Harry Potter and the Cursed Child- when it is released at midnight.

We look forward to seeing your favorite library photos throughout the week.

See you on the PATH ahead.

Shevonne, Gillian and Amy

“I could never do that!”

Do what? Walk the streets of Paris on Bastille Day, climb up to the bells of Notre Dame, or watch fireworks over the Eiffel Tower. Terrorism abounds, I’m not fit enough, I’m afraid of heights, crowds are suffocating, etc. and so on.

But I did (see pictures for proof). We could all fill in the blanks of what we think we could never do, but think of how fun it’s been in your life to break that mold and say, “I thought that, but look at me now!”

“I could never do that” is the phrase of the tired, afraid and overwhelmed. Oscar Wilde said, “Consistency is the last refuge of the unimaginative.” Keep in mind his last name was indeed wild, and he lived up to it. Though he was a tad over the top his point was really that we don’t want to get into a rut out of fear and miss out on life’s delights.

Consistency has its place. We need to be consistent and disciplined to see results in certain goals. But Wilde didn’t want this at the expense of our curiosity and the joy that comes from walking the unexplored path. There’s a balance in it all of course but stepping out of your comfort zone in safe ways is good for the brain, the heart and the soul. Doing so in the company of friends and loved ones, even better.

So instead of saying, “I could never do that!” try saying, “How would that work?” Give your brain a new and exciting boost by taking your friend up on a challenge. Dorothy Parker told her friends, “The cure for boredom is curiosity. There is no cure for curiosity.” Once there, I couldn’t walk the streets of Paris enough. When we hit 20,000 steps and it was midnight, I still bounded up the four flights of our flat, instead of taking the lift, because I could. When “I could never” turns to “because I can” there is no end to what you can accomplish. Six months ago I thought a trip to Europe was ludicrous. When I found out it was cheaper to fly to Paris than to California I made up excuses. If my family hadn’t talked me into it I never would have experienced the wonder and beauty, the history and the amazement of France.

I stood in the very spot where Ben Franklin signed the Treaty of Versailles, making us forever and always the United States of America. I stood on the D-Day beaches where courageous American GIs gave their lives for the freedom of the entire Western world and ended the barbarism of the Nazis. I said a prayer for Nice in an abbey that was built in the middle of a maddening sea during the 8th century. None of that would have happened had I not put on my big girl pants and said, “I’ve got this.” And that wouldn’t have happened had my loved ones not said, “Why on earth wouldn’t you go?”

Walt Disney added, “Curiosity keeps us moving forward, exploring, experimenting, opening new doors.”

Robust research in positive psychology shows that “openness to experience and flexibility about matters that do not fit one’s preconceptions” allows people to embrace and even relish in ambiguity (Seligman, Flourish). We often spend too much time afraid of the unknown. What will that be like? How will it feel? Will it hurt? Will it cost me? Will I look funny? Those questions immobilize us and thus we end up doing nothing at all. That time then is wasted when ultimately we could be out enjoying the benefits of learning and growing together.

In short… Grow your intrigue and question your ruts this week (and ask a friend to help).

Why wouldn’t you do that? Who says you’re not imaginative? Who says you’re not capable of this or that? No one knows for sure what your limits are but you. And even then, do you really know? How many stories can we all recount of those who soared well beyond what they thought they could achieve?

There is no end to what the human spirit can endure and accomplish. All it takes is a little curiosity, some belief in yourself, and a good friend to share in the adventure.

Bonne journée!
(Have a great day)

See You on the PATH Ahead,

Gillian, Shevonne, Amy and the VEHI PATH Team

This week’s Sizzling Summer Challenge is to find a person who inspires you, interview them and then post a photo highlighting your interaction.     Maybe the person you wish to interview is a relative you don’t see often or a neighbor or someone in your local community whom you want to learn more about.  Perhaps he or she has an exquisite summer garden, has overcome a significant obstacle, is well-known for their volunteer services or is someone you admire for the way they live their life.    “The world is your oyster.”

As a way of making my oft-long distance drives more enjoyable, I listen to Terry Gross’s program, Fresh Air, on NPR. I love the way in which she draws each interviewee’s story out, based on her questions and the research she has prepared beforehand.  I confess that if she called me out of the blue and said – would you like to come and help me with these interviews, I would be on the next available plane, pencil and notebook in hand.

During the past school year, Karen Pike (VEHI PATH’s photographer) and I had several opportunities to interview and photograph school employees from around Vermont who were nominated by their colleagues and chosen as our first Thriving Wellness Rock Stars. I interviewed librarians, elementary, middle and high school teachers, literacy specialists, physical educators, administrators, custodians, teacher and principal retirees, para-educators, office personnel and nurses.   Their stories, their commitment to wellness and their positivity knocked my socks off.

Of course, I recognize that approaching someone with a request for an interview might feel a bit daunting, especially if this is new territory for you.  To make it less so, you might invite the individual for a walk and a talk or for a get together over coffee, tea and biscuits.

Once you have overcome this hurdle, here are some tips for smooth interviewing from a variety of journalists.  Make the interviewee feel comfortable. Ask open ended questions, rather than those that can be answered with “yes” or “no”.  Focus on reflection questions such as; “What are some of the unexpected challenges or the unexpected benefits” or “Looking back, . . . .”   Think about what questions you wish to ask in advance to ensure that you are able to tease out the information that is piquing your curiosity.  Make sure to ask about feelings and details.

Keep in mind the interview is a conversation with you. Above all, as the interviewer, focus on listening to how they are responding to your questions without interruption.   Don’t overstay your welcome and thank them for their time at the interview’s conclusion.

As a result of this interview, you will probably gain new insights, expand your thinking and potentially weigh the pros and cons about investing in a new activity or behavior. Best of all, according to Barbara L. Fredrickson, Ph.D and author of the book, Love 2.0, when we take the time to make a positive connection with another individual, this connection carries irrepressible ripple effects across whole social networks.  Each person who experiences positivity resonance has the ability to grow and in turn touch and uplift the lives of countless others.

Go forth, find a person who inspires you (outside of your immediate family) and share the highlights.

See you on the PATH Ahead,

Shevonne, Gillian, Amy and the VEHI PATH Team.

This week’s Sizzlin’ Summer Challenge is to visit a state park.  A walk in the park, right?  Especially because, according to the National Association of State Park Directors, our country has 6,624 state park units, 52 of which are in Vermont.

How did state parks come to be and why does Vermont have more parks than some more generously populated states?  Fredrick Law Olmstead, both father and son, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the Civilian Conservation Corps and Vermonter Perry Merrill get the nod.

The state park movement began in the mid-19^th century, thanks to Fredrick Law Olmstead Sr., a true visionary and our country’s most revered landscape architect. Convinced that scenic preservation and mass accessibility to parks was vital for everyone’s well-being and society as a whole, he advocated tirelessly to persuade the public and those in power. “It is a scientific fact,” he asserted, “that the occasional contemplation of natural scenes of an impressive character, particularly if this contemplation occurs in connection with relief from ordinary cares, change of air and change of habits, is favorable to the health and vigor of men… beyond any other conditions that can be offered them.” Government, he said had nothing less than a duty to assure that “enjoyment of the choicest natural scenes in the country and the means of recreation associated with them” be “laid open to the use of the body of the people,” because if government did not act, those places would be experienced only by the elite.

Charged with managing NY City’s Central Park’s design, Olmstead then traveled to the Yosemite Valley, where he outlined a plan for minimal development that would allow for what he perceived would be eventually millions of visitors to the valley. How right he was.

Returning East in 1865, he became invested in fighting for the preservation of Niagara Falls from commercialization. Thanks to his resolute commitment, in 1885, Niagara Falls become the nation’s first state park.  Following in his dad’s footsteps, Fredrick Law Olmstead, Jr, was contracted by the state of California to identify the best locations for state parks, the majority of which are in operation today.

We owe an incredible amount of gratitude to the Civilian Conservation Corps for the impact they had on expanding our country’s state parks in record time. When I think about how  President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s brainchild to get our country back to work and out of economic depression, resulted in the creation of 800 state parks across our nation and half of Vermont’s state parks, I choke up.  Though the majority of the CCC have now passed on, their legacy is ever present. For $30 a month, $25 of which had to be sent home for use by family members to jump-start the local economies, men hauled stone, built roads and bridges, created swimming areas, picnic shelters, campgrounds and trails.

Lastly, thanks to the foresight and advocacy of Perry Merrill, a Vermont state forester, our state landed the big kahuna. With several shovel-ready projects waiting in the wings; when Roosevelt said “go”, Merrill convinced leadership that Vermont needed 30 CCC camps rather than the four originally allocated.  Between 1933 and 1942, an astounding 40,868 individuals worked in Vermont’s CCC camps. Waterbury’s Little River State Park housed the largest camp in the East, 80 buildings strong.

Back to the challenge at hand –if my enlightening historical review has not motivated you to drop everything and dash to a state park, perhaps the following teasers will do the trick. Did you know there are state parks where one can hang glide, go geocaching, pan for gold or rock climb? Or that a few parks now offer bare bones cabins built specifically with baby boomers in mind? Or in celebration of the Vermont’s Arts Council 50^th anniversary, artists are creating art in several parks as part of an exhibit designed to encourage dialogue around Vermont landscape issues? Or that Niquette Bay State Park has created a poetry walk? There’s plenty to discover and help with your planning online at www.vtstateparks.com.

Finally, consider the following:  Vermont libraries have free day use park passes, individuals 62 and older can purchase a Green Mountain Passport from a town clerk for two dollars guaranteeing free day use for life and over 130 Vermont physicians are prescribing day use passes to patients this summer, thanks to a generous collaboration between the parks and the Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports.

Go find a state park. Shout out your “thank yous” to the Olmsteads, the CCC and to Perry Merrill.  Their determination and labor gave our country the best gift one can ever unwrap.

See you on the PATH Ahead,

Shevonne, Gillian, Amy and the VEHI PATH Team.