A New Kind of Adventure

Tree pose at the Christman Bird & Wildlife Sanctuary, Duanesburg, NY [Photo: Stephanie Dobiecki, March 2016]

When people warned me that my life would drastically change after the birth of my daughter, I blindly agreed and shrugged it off as if I was the exception to the rule. An active yogi at the time, I believed I had mastered the art of mindfulness and was prepared to take on the emotional rollercoaster that came with motherhood.

It only took a few hours after coming home from the hospital two days after my daughter was born when I realized that they were right. And for the next three years, I struggled to shed my old skin and adapt to the changes I faced as a new mom.

Fast forward to three years later, I am a completely different person. My postpartum experience is not something I like to discuss publicly, but I contemplated about life, grappled with my pre-mom years flashing before my eyes, and refused to accept that nothing was going to be the same again—you know, like what most new moms go through.

Motherhood may have felt like I lost my identity, but it also enabled me the opportunity to re-examine who I needed to be and grow into the person that I truly am. I was a lost soul before becoming a mom, but today, for the first time in my life, I feel like I’ve finally found my place in the world. My mind and my soul are at last at peace, and I couldn’t be happier and more content with life.

Blueberry picking in Wakefield, RI [Photo: Joan Misa, August 2020]

I may not be the same person, but what hasn’t changed is my sense of adventure. I hope to instill this into my daughter, although she seems to be doing all right on her own. At almost three years old, she already loves the outdoors and is always up for doing something new. As a naturally curious child, it doesn’t take much to convince her to explore her surroundings. All I have to do is provide her the safe environment to do so.

I’ve revived this website as my outlet to share stories about these mommy-daughter adventures (among other things). My daughter is growing up so quickly, I want to be able to capture some of these memories in words as much as I’ve already done in pictures.

And if you haven’t already guessed, the central theme of this website is environmental stewardship, which will also be reflected in the type of adventures we go on. My hope is for these stories to inspire other families to take their little adventures, while serving as a reminder to why it’s imperative that we prioritize the conservation of our natural resources.

This is my new adventure—I’m so happy you are coming along!