Walking Forum
Main Boards => News and Articles => Topic started by: RobertJames on 22:14:14, 08/04/19
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From the 4th April Daily Mail article..
A daily 20-minute stroll in the great outdoors has been found to dramatically lower stress levels and boost wellbeing.
Scientists claim to have discovered that spending between 20-30 minutes amongst nature could cut levels of the stress hormone, cortisol, by about 10 per cent. The new study found that after 30 minutes the wellbeing benefits of being outside continued to increase but at sharply reduced rate, the Times reported. Spending time connected to nature has previously been suggested as a low-cost way of combating health issues including high-blood pressure and mental health problems.
health/article-6884101/Daily-20-minute-walk-outdoors-nature-cuts-stress.html
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From the 4th April Daily Mail article..
A daily 20-minute stroll in the great outdoors has been found to dramatically lower stress levels and boost wellbeing.
Scientists claim to have discovered that spending between 20-30 minutes amongst nature could cut levels of the stress hormone, cortisol, by about 10 per cent. The new study found that after 30 minutes the wellbeing benefits of being outside continued to increase but at sharply reduced rate, the Times reported. Spending time connected to nature has previously been suggested as a low-cost way of combating health issues including high-blood pressure and mental health problems.
health/article-6884101/Daily-20-minute-walk-outdoors-nature-cuts-stress.html
Interesting, the shrinks say I suffer from a psychotic disorder and nature doesn't help with the symptoms of that. It does improve my mood though which I'm sure most of the members here also experience, so you'd expect it to help with negative mood disorders. It's probably not news to us that it has these effects?
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It's no really news to those ofbus who walk, garden ect certainly helped me recover from depression.
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Going for a decent walk certainly helped me clear my head when I was suffering from work related stress.
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The job I did for nearly thirty years involved driving and working with the public - fifty-two calls a week, and it was almost like being self-employed, things didn't end when you got home after the last call of the day. It was both physically and mentally demanding, and a few days walking and wild camping alone in north Wales' mountains was a perfect antidote.
Unfortunately, though, the beneficial effects it had on me only lasted a week or two at the most.
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Walking definitely helps to relieve stress. When I was trucking and was waiting to get unloaded at a distribution depot we had to wait with our vehicles until called to back on a loading bay. This could take anything up to four hours. Used to drive me potty wasting so much time.
I often used to get out of the cab and walk around the whole thing, trailer and cab, over and over again. Ten, twenty, thirty, or more times. It did help. I could switch off from my surroundings, made me feel better knowing that I was actually doing something useful.
Parked up at night, I often went for a walk, wherever I was.
ilona
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When I set off on a walk I can be happy or stressed, but whatever mood I`m in a type of calmness comes over me after covering maybe five miles.
Sometimes it`s like mild euphoria. Most people know that endorphins are produced with exercise and it is one of the reasons I push on sometimes when walking, rather than stroll all the way. The harder I push the quicker and more obvious is the feel good mood when it arrives....then I can stroll, take pics, or just take in the scenery, till the end of my walk.
The feel good mood lasts around 36 hours or so for me...better than any drug I reckon..It is the knowing about this effect that makes me start preparing for my next hike and get outside time & time again... O0
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I find I start to emotionally "unknot" after about 2 miles of pootling and just taking in my surroundings. It does have to be in the countryside and in daylight though. Doing 2 miles urban walking at night does absolutely nothing for me.
In fact, it's a beautiful evening and ..... WHY.... am I sat at my computer? :-[
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In fact, it's a beautiful evening and ..... WHY.... am I sat at my computer? :-[
Some people think it's God's plan. I've got my own ideas. If there's somewhere nice local you can pop out to there's just about enough time left before the sun fully sets.
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Lots of nice local walks. Trouble is, I do them so regularly I get bored of them and they end up functional walks - my scenic routes to the shops, for example.
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I find that after a mile or so in the hills it seems like a big weight has been lifted off my shoulders. My breathing gets deeper and easier and my mind drifts away from everyday things.
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I find walking gives me a feeling of freedom and well-being, and I often set off with a sense of adventure. During the winter most of my walks were rural fringe and urban, and I enjoyed them, but getting right out into the countryside again now spring is here has been so life-enhancing. Being out there, preferably in solitude, does so much for me.
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I find walking gives me a feeling of freedom and well-being, and I often set off with a sense of adventure. During the winter most of my walks were rural fringe and urban, and I enjoyed them, but getting right out into the countryside again now spring is here has been so life-enhancing. Being out there, preferably in solitude, does so much for me.
Yes I find the winter does stifle things a bit. When I was young I would walk in any weather and enjoy the challenge but in my wiser years (wiser=dotage) :P . I now aim for walks in sunshine and higher temperatures...its good for mind and body !I did a 6 mile walk today but the wind was biting. Fortunately I found a sheltered spot in full sun towards the end of the walk, to sit and contemplate life, and it was a great way to finish off.
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Being out there, preferably in solitude, does so much for me.
That's one thing I preferred about the South Downs to the Lakes, less people! On the other hand it's interesting to talk to the people in the Lakes about the area.
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I usually spend the mornings around the house, (not housework I might add), sewing, arts and crafts, popping on and off the computer, drinking coffee, etc. By the time the afternoon comes I have a need to go out. The sun is deceiving at the moment, it looks lovely from behind glass but get out there and it's very chilly.
Yesterday I did a five mile local walk. Paths along field edges, the main crop around here is turf.
Beautiful.
(https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VddYKojFxmI/XLJG0NwGtyI/AAAAAAAAvOY/Toh9raZfu_4hQRXZ7FnIAFIID9Z-cmWKQCLcBGAs/s400/Afewgudpics%2B923.jpg)
(https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YG0JSaE-HCk/XLJG14Qy5SI/AAAAAAAAvOc/ksuHM6m-Sy8Iko-5ZiypuVES-OMme6IngCLcBGAs/s400/Afewgudpics%2B925.jpg)
And then I found this.
(https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_v3ONsW1Sec/XLJHW368GiI/AAAAAAAAvOw/eZ8H0mdw3NUkBWGR-3XL2LMzuKljY0uxwCLcBGAs/s400/Afewgudpics%2B921.jpg)
Ooops sorry, I should have put this in environmental. I have reported it to the Council.
ilona
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I seem to come across rubbish like that more and more in the last year or so. Also noticed that it gets added too if not removed by the council quickly. It may seem harsh but offenders who use vehicles to dump it should be fined and get 6 points on their licence when caught. I don't know what the answer is but it has to be stopped.
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It may seem harsh but offenders who use vehicles to dump it should be fined and get 6 points on their licence when caught. I don't know what the answer is but it has to be stopped.
Google says:
Fly-tipping is a criminal offence punishable by a fine of up to £50,000 or 12 months imprisonment if convicted in a Magistrates' Court. The offence can attract an unlimited fine and up to 5 years imprisonment if convicted in a Crown Court.
I doubt a standard sentence of life imprisonment would stop it because the likelihood of being caught is low.
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Google says:
Fly-tipping is a criminal offence punishable by a fine of up to £50,000 or 12 months imprisonment if convicted in a Magistrates' Court. The offence can attract an unlimited fine and up to 5 years imprisonment if convicted in a Crown Court.
I doubt a standard sentence of life imprisonment would stop it because the likelihood of being caught is low.
And I thought I was being harsh. As you say the chances of being caught are low.
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Any vehicle used to fly tip should be confiscated. The same penalty should apply to those using a phone while driving- confiscation of phone and vehicle in this case.
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Any vehicle used to fly tip should be confiscated. The same penalty should apply to those using a phone while driving- confiscation of phone and vehicle in this case.
I agree with you. I also think that some councils changing to fortnightly bin collections made things worse, no excuse though for Fly-tipping.
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That's one thing I preferred about the South Downs to the Lakes, less people! On the other hand it's interesting to talk to the people in the Lakes about the area.
Depends where you go in the Lakes, Rob, as you get more experience you will find that the lesser known fells are generally quiet,and all the fells are quiet around dawn, which is why I walk very early.
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Depends where you go in the Lakes, Rob, as you get more experience you will find that the lesser known fells are generally quiet,and all the fells are quiet around dawn, which is why I walk very early.
Yes, apart from the odd wild camper, you can get most fells to yourself if you make an alpine start. And you can enjoy watching all the red faces still going up as you come down.
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I'm generally more of a night owl, frequently don't go to bed until 3am. It was bad enough getting up at 7:45 yesterday (think I only got 3 hours sleep despite going to bed at 1 am) for Loadpot Hill, Alpine starts might be a bit of a daydream though it's possible I suppose after a period of adjustment.
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I do have my 25 minute walk during my break at work. It works wonders. But I also try to do most things on foot in town, and can get the same sense of relaxation. But it doesn't surprise me at all that it reduces stress. I used sports and walking as well when I was having anxiety issues.
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I find walking around town stressful. Everyone walks too slowly, changes direction or stops without warning or has their head down looking at a phone. I usually have a bit of fun leaving my avoidance measures until the possible victim is on the point of being trampled by the human equivalent of a hippo :D
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I usually have a bit of fun leaving my avoidance measures until the possible victim is on the point of being trampled by the human equivalent of a hippo :D
The kind of walker if I haven't avoided earlier I turn+step sideways at the very last second to slide past.
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Walking round town isn't a pleasure for me.... the noise, the fumes, the litter, the beggers, the "we're just conducting this survey"-ers, the knife crime, the murders, the spice-zombies.
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Walking round town isn't a pleasure for me.... the noise, the fumes, the litter, the beggers, the "we're just conducting this survey"-ers, the knife crime, the murders, the spice-zombies.
Maybe you should move! It's quite nice walking around here as town walks go. Probably too expensive if you wanted to stay near friends/job/etc though. I'm glad I grew up in a city and I like cities but the worst thing that happens here (outside of the horse fair) is some kids threw something at a bloke, it even made the news. Plus you get more home for it's value (my largish flat is worth around £100k) and I've got sheep out of my living room window.
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I don't live in the town (city) but I do have to go to the city regularly for work. Luckily where I do live is a much nicer, quieter place.
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Maybe you should move! It's quite nice walking around here as town walks go. Probably too expensive if you wanted to stay near friends/job/etc though. I'm glad I grew up in a city and I like cities but the worst thing that happens here (outside of the horse fair) is some kids threw something at a bloke, it even made the news. Plus you get more home for it's value (my largish flat is worth around £100k) and I've got sheep out of my living room window.
Do you have any tips for getting sheep out through the window?
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Do you have any tips for getting sheep out through the window?
Use a Border Collie and a jar of mint sauce. They'll find a way.
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Are you Welsh? :D
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Which one of us? The guy asking for tips on getting sheep out of the window or the one supplying?
Lived there for a short while, not what I expected.
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Bwuaaahhh, not sure if that's made my thought process better or worse ;D
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Which one of us? The guy asking for tips on getting sheep out of the window or the one supplying?
Lived there for a short while, not what I expected.
Care to elaborate?
North Wales is one of my top UK locations, but I rarely feel welcome....
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I currently work in retail and when I have a day off I just have to isolate myself from humans, daily we are usually the brunt of the public's bad temper.
For my mental health I need to surround myself with nature, and avoid as much human contact as possible....
I am fortunate living in Mid Wales I can find places to escape where I wont see a soul and those I do are usually the local farmers.
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Care to elaborate?
Only a little bit and it's got not nothing to do with North Wales. I lived in South Wales not North. My experience with Welsh people had been very positive so I moved there. Once there I fell in with a bad crowd. One guy especially, who happened to be my neighbour, was more than a bit of a sociopath. I decided I didn't like being part of his crowd or being his neighbour so I left. End of elaboration :)
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I can’t help but wonder why some say they have not felt welcome ???
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I can’t help but wonder why some say they have not felt welcome ???
It is this quandary that I was trying to analyse in a recent TR (http://www.walkingforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=38250.0), where I was much criticized for not posting photos, on that walk 3 lengthy conversations with local people revealed a level of hidden animosity to visitors. We were fortunate to fall in with friendly encounters, but were told of 3 farms where we would not have been welcome. This was in mid-Wales not North Wales, but he underlying cause is probably similar.
An interesting conversation with the landlady of a favourite pub, revealed some insight into the circumstances of one of the hostile occupants and I would hazard a guess, that the cause is loneliness. Whereas the substance of the OP's original link was the benefit of reaching out to nature for pastoral care of the stressed psyche, the very people living in that environment are being brainwashed into thinking that visitors to the countryside are a threat.
It was only the recent incomer to the area, who happily watched us arrive off the right of way, who did not feel outraged that we should walk the riverside to improve our experience of a beautiful area. Whereas embedded locals have their very personalities embittered by their sense of territory.
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Hmm! So a general countryside thing then not a Welsh thing. I have to say only once have I come across any animosity while walking, this was near Crickhowell and I have no idea of the nationality of the female farmer/landowner. I’m not sure I agree 100% BWW but a perceived “threat” is certainly a possibility, but of what?
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I can’t help but wonder why some say they have not felt welcome ???
When we lived in N Wales (Anglesey) the people in the village where we lived were friendly enough but I was warned not to admit to being English in any pub in Caernavon, especially on a Saturday night.
In Devon we get a lot of visitors who are essential to the local economy, allowing the local pub to earn enough money to stay viable all the year round and it is nice to see a new face to talk to. For that they are welcome - even if it takes ages to get served. Now if we could convince them that the pub menu is not an opening point for designing a menu of their own (it takes ages and stops other folk getting some ale), and if only they could learn how to drive on our roads, that would be great!
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When we lived in N Wales (Anglesey) the people in the village where we lived were friendly enough but I was warned not to admit to being English in any pub in Caernavon, especially on a Saturday night.
In Devon we get a lot of visitors who are essential to the local economy, allowing the local pub to earn enough money to stay viable all the year round and it is nice to see a new face to talk to. For that they are welcome - even if it takes ages to get served. Now if we could convince them that the pub menu is not an opening point for designing a menu of their own (it takes ages and stops other folk getting some ale), and if only they could learn how to drive on our roads, that would be great!
I guess in some areas it’s an old legacy of a colonial past, although maybe somewhat exaggerated possibly these days, not forgetting that tolerance works both ways of course. I was born and bred in the Welsh valleys, but lived and worked in Chester for 18 months, made some lifelong friends and put up with the sheep jokes, but all in all it was generally a good experience.
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Hmm! So a general countryside thing then not a Welsh thing. I have to say only once have I come across any animosity while walking, this was near Crickhowell and I have no idea of the nationality of the female farmer/landowner. I’m not sure I agree 100% BWW but a perceived “threat” is certainly a possibility, but of what?
The perceived threat is the stymied position of the access network advancing and becoming the national asset originally perceived by the 'founders', those postwar politicians, who created the definitive map. A willingness of the producers of our food to welcome their customers into the countryside and share the 'bounties of nature' is being influenced by the attitude to property that is actively encouraged. As a one time farmer, I suppose I may sense more of 'what could be done' and balance that with 'what is not done'.
I suspect in the last but one walk we did in that area I could have walked into a nasty situation, by staying on the right of way. We strayed off the RoW and avoided walking through a farm where we were told we could have had a bit of a barny. The next farm we had to pass through we were harassed by the dog all the way, it was quite obvious that the owner was in the house. When we reached the third farm and had a chat all the my suspicions fell into place by the info we picked up in conversation. Now that farmer, though friendly, was the one, who told us that the old path used by the postman, had been shut off. His farmwork was more diligent and I expect that the boundary fencing was better maintained by him. Trouble was that there was no point to cross the boundary, although the field gates fell into place along the line of the right of way within both holdings.
As we were trying to make a circular walk out of a stretch of riverside, largely A+ rated footpath, I suspect that the outreach part to close the circle was C- as far as the Powys CC were concerned. There were no waymarks nor any voluntary recognition by the incumbent occupiers, which points to a negative attitude.
This is fine walking countryside, offering a different experience to more popular areas, the local economy would benefit from a wider visitor use. The farmer's wife opened up as soon as she knew more of my background, we learnt that her children had used the local pubs as first learning jobs before going on to university, but they are encouraged by their CLA reps to support a negative access attitude, so allowing a really interesting footpath fall below par without fully understanding the connection between tourism in their own community.
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Yes a bit long winded but I do understand, it’s a countrywide issue. The farmer who had a go at us clearly disliked not just walkers, but anyone who came near her land uninvited, it didn’t help that the prow on her land ended at a river with no crossing to gain access to the road. I personally tend not to stray from paths other than on open access land when it’s fair game. The CLA it seems to me, actively encourage farmers and landowners to keep the riff raff out of the countryside for their own elitist purposes, but for me it’s important to recognise this as a countrywide and not a regional problem.
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I'm in north Powys/Gwynedd and find the local farmers friendly my first language is Welsh so naturally speak to them in the mother tongue.
Last year sat in a cafe in Betws Y Coed with a friend we as normal talked to each other in Welsh, we became aware of an elderly couple next to us, looking rather annoyed and on leaving turned to us and proceeded to shout 'you polish lot should go home if you cannot speak English'...cafe owner apologised but I was not offended I found it hilarious.
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I lived and worked in Snowdonia for 17 years or so, and never encountered any real hostility. I suspect that a few people didn't want to know me because I was 'Sais', but they were very much in the minority, and most people were very friendly.
My wife and I once blundered into the pub in Tanygrisiau after a walk over the Moelwyns, rushing to catch last orders (yes, the pubs shut in the afternoon in those days). We were the only people speaking English in the place, but once we had broken the ice, the locals couldn't have been friendlier - we got 'locked in' and shared a taxi to an 'after party' in Dolwyddelan!
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Last year sat in a cafe in Betws Y Coed with a friend we as normal talked to each other in Welsh, we became aware of an elderly couple next to us, looking rather annoyed and on leaving turned to us and proceeded to shout 'you polish lot should go home if you cannot speak English'...cafe owner apologised but I was not offended I found it hilarious.
Made me smile, but sadly an encounter like this is a sign of the times.
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Yes a bit long winded but I do understand, it’s a countrywide issue. The farmer who had a go at us clearly disliked not just walkers, but anyone who came near her land uninvited, it didn’t help that the prow on her land ended at a river with no crossing to gain access to the road.
;) , I could have been a bit more long winded and gone into the underlying cause. It is rather good fun sifting out the elements of such dissension. This New years eve I got into such a discussion with a farmers widow, their farm had been sold up but she was adamant that walkers were a threat to a way of life that was their due to the value of their land.
Is this the new take on celebrity/elitism where wealth pushes people up the social scale? Over my lifetime the value of agricultural land has risen from under £50 per acre to over £10,000.
It is more an English trait to take 'Being Posh' seriously and in some peoples psyche owning land is the ultimate of being 'posh'. With targeted marketing, the CLA will enrol members with so few acres, just for the reward of being able to display their monthly Magazine Land and Business as essential coffee table adornment.
Probably the cause of many an experience trying to push ones way through the blockages thrown up around some scrubby little 'My Pony' setup, where the waymarks have been conveniently covered over or completely eradicated.
I had a delightful chance encounter with a Welsh farmer (owner/occupier), over whose land we had happily trespassed some years ago in the Cain Hotel, Llanfyllin, an area, I feel, should compete with the top walking destinations. His passing remarks to us, were, "Hope you enjoyed it!". Wrote it up here some years ago.
I think the Welsh areas more more confined by geography, the Glynceriog Valley being notable and probably established by the McAlpine Shooting interest of 50 or so years ago, but there, still endemic.
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;) , I could have been a bit more long winded and gone into the underlying cause. It is rather good fun sifting out the elements of such dissension.
No no it’s fine honestly ;D I do enjoy a good debate I have to say, but when out walking all I want is peace and quiet, having said that, on that one occasion when “accosted” I was only too happy to oblige the lady and politely but determinedly argue my point.
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"A daily 20-minute stroll in the great outdoors has been found to dramatically lower stress levels and boost wellbeing."
It's been a life saver for me, over the years. I've suffered depression and anxiety from work and life events but being outdoors, in nature has always helped. The oft dreaded evening dog walk at the end of a hectic day always seemed so beneficial in lifting my mood, in retrospect.
A day fishing alone on a remote beach is nothing short miraculous for my spirit.