Getting enough exercise when you are “allergic to the world” is just a tad difficult, to say the least. Ask anyone with mast cell activation syndrome and they’ll tell you that I’m not exaggerating when I say it feels like I’m an alien and the planet wants to kill me. Between the heat, the pollen and just the vibration of walking (yes, that’s an MCAS trigger), it can send us into degranulation station.

Ugh. It sounds like an exotic destination but it’s not a fun place to be.

So I want to take advantage of the fall weather since it’s the only time of year I can really get out there and take long walks without too high of a risk of a mast cell attack (not something I want to deal with at all, especially in public) or, alternatively, freezing to death.

That’s always a risk here whether you have wonky mast cells or not.

It is, after all, Idaho.

In fact, this time last year we actually got our first snow of the season! Not just a sprinkling, either. We got a TON of snow. Probably half a foot or so. It didn’t stay long but the pups thought it was great! 😄

Anyway, yesterday the hubs had to work and there was no snow in the forecast (thank goodness) so my son and I went for a nice walk at one of our local parks.

This particular park is funny because it always seems to be either completely filled with people or nearly empty. Rarely is it ever in between. Yesterday it was thankfully the latter and at first I was grateful for that, and a bit surprised since it was a Saturday.

Soon, though, the lack of people made me a bit paranoid. The further we went, the worse it got.

Like, honestly, where was everyone? 🤔

Didn’t they get the memo that we have a limited amount of time left before winter comes and we’ll all be shut inside our houses for months on end?!!

Seriously, though, we passed maybe three or four people the entire way and it was beginning to feel like the opening scene to a slasher flick by the time we got half way around the loop. I kept looking behind me to make sure a random psychopath wasn’t following us too closely but nope.

Nobody.

Apparently even the serial killers were taking a day off from their much needed pre-winter walks!

Weird.

They were totally missing out, because it was really pretty out there and not too hot or too cold.

By the time we got to the safety of my truck and locked the doors *just in case*, I was out of breath from both the walk and the ridiculous paranoid thoughts. But lucky for me my mast cells remained relatively unbothered and it felt really, really good to get out again.

I did have a good laugh as I pulled out when my son pointed out that we’d parked right next to a Ghostbusters themed floral arrangement.

Honestly, I just can’t seem to escape seeing ghosts lately! 🙂