Notes in Normalcy from a perfect stranger

The other day, I decided to take myself off on a hike, as I do regularly. I enjoy hiking alone. It's quiet. It connects me to nature while I burn some calories. It's good for the mind and body.

So at the beginning of my estimated 1.5 hour hike, I encountered another hiker. She was standing on the side of trail drinking some water and taking a rest. She asked me some random question about the trail. I answered and scooted past her.

Soon I realized that the other hiker was on my heels and had no intention to pass me nor hang back at a respectable distance. At first I was somewhat perplexed. Wouldn't she want to be alone like I did? It's sort of like arriving at the gym locker room to find only one other woman present, and then going up and taking the locker right next to hers. I thought it was a bit odd. (It turns out that she was nervous about hiking alone.)

We began chatting and it turns out that she was visiting from Vancouver, Canada. She seemed easy-going and nice. We had a lot of little things in common and stayed together for the duration of the hike. In fact, at one point that I wanted to continue up the mountain, she decided to rest and wait for me. She wanted to avoid getting over-heated as it was much warmer than her usual hikes. She was in good shape, but was listening to her body.

• Note #1: Listen to your body.

It was to be her last full day in town and became obvious to me that she had no plans, so I offered for her to join me later in the day for some activities that I had planned for myself. She gladly accepted.

One of the activities was a self-guided walking tour of numerous Inns and Hotels in the area (called the Palm Springs Walk of the Inns). Little did I know that each location offered up varying degrees of sweets: cookies and cakes- and a wide variety of them. After nibbling at the first two locales, my companion announced that she had also consumed some chocolate earlier in the day and really did not feel like having any more sweets, but was in need of something savory. She stopped eating the cookies. I did the next best thing: I had a bite of the ones that looked truly amazing and/or home made.

• Note #2 Listen to your stomach.

Spencer's at the Mountain

The mid-century modern Chase Hotel (redesigned on HGTV)

My new Canadian friend at the Del Marcos Hotel

After the Walk of the Inns, we continued onto the weekly Village Festival, which was fun for me as I don't go often enough. Finally, we got hungry and ended up at Johannes, which is a restaurant not to be missed (in my opinion.)

Two other bloggers have joined me here: Tiffany and Allie.

Now, here is the next part that you need to know: My new friend is 'normal' when it comes to eating and exercise. Unlike me, she has never dieted in all of her 53 years. She hikes because she enjoys it while getting some fresh air. She has maintained her normal weight her entire life in this manner. THESE KINDS OF PEOPLE FASCINATE ME!

So here we were at the finest restaurant in town and I was curious to see how she would order. She suggested sharing. And not 'diet food'. She was intrigued by the specialty of the house: the wiener schnitzel, which is thinly pounded breaded and fried veal. This would absolutely and positively not have been my first choice, although I've been dying to order it for years. I usually find an interesting-yet-healthy dish like scallops or even some unusual meat. When I suggested ordering a salad to split as well she announced "oh yes, I haven't had any greens today... that sounds great." She didn't say "Oh yes, I need to fill up my belly for the fewest calories as possible" which is what I was thinking.

• Lesson #3: Give your body what it really wants.
  

We also split a half-bottle of wine (which amounts to just over a glass each), split a dessert sampler as well as enjoyed the amazing bread and spread. And it was just enough. In Swedish, there's a word for it: " Lagom". There is no direct English translation but roughly, it is "just enough" or "in moderation." Perfect.

Little did my new friend know that I was quietly observing her behaviors, but she provided a great reminder about approaching food and exercise in a normal, balanced way. Not only that, but I made a friend along the way. And I finally got to order the wiener schnitzel. I just love a healthy dose of serendipity.

Q: How has serendipity affected you? Do you listen to your body and cravings? How do you approach 'free' food when it's placed in front of you? Do you like to check out inns and small hotels?