Thankfully David and I got to walk early this morning. We've walked a lot recently, and it has been so great. Good to talk, good to walk, good to connect and spend time together, and good to see nature and let it resound metaphorically in our lives.
Today we sauntered farther down the tracks to the SW than normal. Usually the dogs bark at the Martin's farm and it can feel like they're yelling at us to get off their land. But we are up on the old tracks, where there are no more tracks -- just rocks, and the dogs aren't barking... so we just keep walking.
Eventually we come upon some funny old stalks and they seem out of place. Dave identifies with the tall skinniness and I snap a pic. He is like one of the many fence posts out on the prairie, cutting a shape against the sky on the horizon.
Earlier I had stopped him mid-sentence to talk a pic that struck me down by the river bend. I liked the violet of the alfalfa with the grey fence post and the winding flow of part of the river that I rarely remember because it is not often in sight.
And now back to the tracks... as we kept walking past the tall skinny stalks, we eventually came to a break in the fence and felt invited to explore a meadow we had never set foot in before. We looked for a lone bull or any other wildlife that might scare us (I mean of course, that we might disturb, heh, heh,) and started off toward the valley by the cliffs to get a glimpse of the river... no such luck. Well, no water anyway. What we saw once we got to the ridge was a river of bullrushes down below. Still beautiful, but not what we were expecting. So we soaked in the view of the cliffs and meadow -- a new perspective after 12+ years that we had never explored.
Which reminds of one other surprise we encountered on this walk.
But first a back story. About 5 weeks ago we had ventured out onto one of the river bends down by the seed plant after a time of high flooding, and found it all covered in sand -- a beach! Later that day we picnicked on this same beach with our neighbors, warding off bugs and heat, but enjoying our own personal beach as our boys made a mud damn down in the waters. It was remarkable to venture out onto this unique sandy bluff that the floodwaters had left behind.
Since then, Dave and I and Weston have explored many other hidden valleys and corners of our world that change radically from winter to summer, but we hadn't been back to this particular spot. Today we trailed our old path back there, but -- there was almost no path! The grass was up over our knees and we had to pick our way through the tiny forest to the outcropping... but when we arrived, we thought at first we hadn't. There was no sand! In a short time, the foliage, roses, grasses, bushes, trees, and shrubs had COVERED the bare sand that we had enjoyed just over a month ago and we couldn't even walk out to the point. Remarkable. No trace of the picnic grounds. Life forces had rushed in and rooted in sand and silt that I had no idea was even fertile ground and it was teaming with life and color. I had assumed that the flood waters had decimated the shore and left it changed forever, but now there is no trace of high water residue. Interesting.
And now, I will read over my 6th lesson on clearing and give a brief report (if I want to.)
The first two of the four pathways are: Intention and Action
Pretty straightforward. Pretty clear.
Yes.
Focus, and then Move
The next two are more elusive:
Non-identification and Compassion
Sounds like very important internal work here.
I wish Non-identification were expressed in a positive way instead of what it is not. I would like to call it finding my definition, or as David says differentiating. Regardless, this pathway is encouraging a more objective lens and less personal attachment. Wise.
I like that Compassion is included as I need it to keep going both for myself and for others. It allows for mistakes and invites understanding. And after my surprises in my walks today I would name Flexibility as another leg, or perhaps as part of Compassion, because adapting to change and following a new path that you didn't intend seem to be part of my experience in walking forward. In fact, surprise and receiving what comes to you (regardless of what you planned) is a recurring theme in my life with David when it comes to God's leading. Maybe I would call that Openness.
The leader of the course speaks of the four pathways as being the four legs of a table, working together and interdependent for balance. I really like that image.
Intention--Action--Non-Identification--Compassion
That is how I will move forward
slowly but surely
to spaciousness.
No comments:
Post a Comment