Meandering

I am on a hike...on a mountain.  All around me is a forest of brightly colored trees.  There are no tall buildings to block out the sun and stifle the air.  There is not a constant, frantic thrum of vehicles driving by; no beeping horns, no emergency vehicle sirens.  Instead, there is sunshine on my face, crisp, clean air to breath in and a gentle breeze rustling the leaves overhead.  And ahead of me is a winding path that promises endless possibilities.

I am a meanderer.  My goal is not to get to the top as quickly as I can.  It is not to see if I can get my heart rate up.  Out here, my goal is to wander, to observe and to rest.  Out here on the trail, I stop often to take a picture or catch my breath.  And sometimes, I stop just to listen.

It is in the stillness that I hear a tap-tap-tap that draws my eyes to a woodpecker on a log.  It is in the stillness that I hear squirrels scampering through the leaves.  And it is in this stillness that I hear a whisper that tells me that I am beloved.  In this stillness, I can hear a quiet voice beckoning me forward to experience more treasures that await me around every bend in the trail.

As I stand still and look around, I wonder how many treasures we miss because we are too busy rushing from place to place.  I wonder how many times we miss seeing something or experiencing something amazing because we are looking down at our phones or other electronic devises.  There is such beauty in the stillness. And there is rest.

As the path beckons me forward, there are new adventures around every corner.  At mile four, I come to a rather large hill.  In actuality, this hill probably isn't much bigger than some of the other hills I have already climbed.  But by mile four, my legs are starting to get a little wobbly, and I am starting to feel a bit weary.  But I continue upward because, well, doesn't everyone want to see what's on the other side of a hill?

As I trudge up this hill and get to the top, I wonder, "Is it possible that sometimes we have to climb hills and mountains not to test our resolve or to make us stronger but simply because the view from the top is so spectacular?"

Here in these mountains, under the canopy of trees, I am free.  Free from the constant, frantic tension of work.  Free from make-up and cute (uncomfortable) shoes ~ because here there is no judgement.  Here I am able to release the tension in my clenched jaw and open wide my closed fists.  It is here that I am strong and courageous.  It is here that my mind is able to wander and to rest.  It is here that I find peace.  And it is here, on this mountain, under these trees that it is well with my soul.

"See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland."  Isaiah 43:19

I pray that you will find rest in the wilderness.

~robin