(This post was written after my first Camino experience, Spring 2019)
The gifts of nature are many. My Camino training involved two shorter walks (1-3 hours each) during the weekdays and a longer walk (3-6 hours) on a weekend day. I walked some indoors, but whenever possible, I walked outside and often journeyed on one of our community’s fabulous bike trails.
I really have no way to express the gifts of nature other than to simply list these gifts received through my time walking in the great outdoors.
1. The colors. Deep greens and blues and browns. The stark contrast of a red cardinal up against glittering fresh white snow. The vibrant yellow of a gold finch. The lavender of a bluebell. The colors.
2. The shapes. The contours of a lake. Trees twisted and tall. The geometric beauty of a bridge. The long path stretched out in front of you. The tracks of a deer.
3. The smells. The scent of balsam. A family’s fireplace as you walk by their home’s chimney. A warm Spring rain. Flowers blooming.
4. The sounds. Birds chirping. Feet crunching on a snowy path. Ice crackling. Trains moving. A dog barking. The absence of sound. Silence.
5. Fresh air- a sure cleanse for a cluttered mind.
6. Nature is a testament that nothing stays the same; there are continually cycles of death and new life, growth and maturation, change, movement.
7. Seeing the change from winter to spring in my training was also a reminder of a faithful and good God. A reminder that I am not in control but there is one who is and who chooses to display this faithfulness and goodness in the splendor of nature.
8. Nature is a powerful remedy to an anxious heart and distracted mind. It brings focus, lowers internal RPMs, shifts perspective, invigorates the spirit, is grounding.
9. Walking outside locally reminds us that as we dream of going across the world to experience natural wonders, there is so much beauty to be embraced and celebrated right in our local communities.
10. Finally, nature’s beauty works to bring us into the present moment.
“Beauty is a celebration of is-ness…beauty is felt here in the now, with no if-only’s or should-be’s or someday-it-might-be’s.” JoAnne Dodgson, Gifts of the Grandmother
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