I hadn’t been out in the wild for a good minute. I was more than ready. Grateful for the opportunity to backpack into some new-to-me terrain in a different part of the state, I took my time and stopped aplenty. I was in good spirits. When I get caught up in modern day busyness for too long, I find myself getting frustrated. The pressure builds. So I make time for the things that make me come most alive. One of my favorite parts of backpacking is the time in between. The idleness. The doing nothing but listening to the natural sounds around me or nothing at all. I learn about myself and recall my place within nature. I own up to my shadows. I take the internal journey and loosen the knots I’ve tied so tightly within. I am reminded that life is meant to be beautiful. Meaningful. A new way of living presents itself as possible: a deliberate slowdown of life full of spontaneity, patience, sensuality, and play.
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