I am alarmed when it happens that I have walked a mile into the woods bodily, without getting there in spirit… The thought of some work will run in my head, and I am not where my body is — I am out of my senses. In my walks I would fain return to my senses…
Henry David Thoreau in WALKING
There is a voice deep within me that I need to listen to more often and I am not talking about the never ending chatter of my mind. That voice nudged me to get out of the house and out of my head to enjoy this beautiful day with some quality time in nature. So, after lunch I made a visit to Pineridge Natural Area taking my journal, camera and one of my flutes. As I pulled into the parking lot I was greeted by a group of Magpies lined up on the parking lot fence letting me know they were glad to see me. Turning off the car I looked out across the almost empty reservoir and watched gulls floating over the water in search of food. There was not a cloud to be seen, just a blank blue canvas waiting for a cloud. I began to settle into the present moment slowly letting go of distracting thoughts. I noticed the green of the meadow fading and the brown, yellow and gold of fall replacing it. I walked to a familiar, and comfortable enough, boulder that works as a chair and sat down. I allowed my body to relax and soak in the sun’s warmth. I opened my journal and began writing down a few thoughts on those blank pages rather than keeping them in my head. I then picked up my flute and began to practice. The blowing wind wanted to also play the flute so I didn’t practice that long but laid the flute across my lap, took in deep breaths and stayed present. While Thoreau went to the woods, I went to the meadow. I’m glad I listened to that voice and stayed present.
2 Comments
Earl
When I was much younger, a group of friends and I would load our dirt motorcycles and head to the mountains to ride on dirt trails and powerline right-of-ways. We would cover 30 to 60 miles of rough, rocky, and often steep single tracks during those afternoons. Some rides were particularly challenging, and I struggled, especially when I was mentally distracted and focused on other things instead of the trail. On the other hand, there were days when I was completely present and engaged in the ride, and those same tough trails seemed to pass by quickly. I was also a much better rider on those occasions, as noted by a few of my friends. The only difference between those two experiences was where my focus was directed. An important early lesson I learned from these rides was that you tend to go where you look or where you concentrate your attention. A straightforward principle, but like anything else, it requires practice and effort. I view this as a lesson applicable to many areas of life. However, I’m not sure I’ve always applied it very well. ~smile~
Have a great weekend!
Monte Stevens
What a wonderful example of how a distracted mind can get us into dangerous situations. I also learned the lesson to focus you eyes at where you want to go on my motorcycle. It is also true of bicycling. If I’m not careful I can look in one direction and tell myself not to go there but that’s way too often where I end up. I almost buffed it the other day because of that. It will be another cold night here.