Looking up.
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[ From the REI parking lot where we picked up our 2008 parks parking pass. ]
Awesome weather here yesterday called for a hike + picnic on Mt. Pisgah. Lily was loaded in the back. Water bottles were stuffed into the backpack. Sandwiches were grabbed at a local shop and off we went.
Sometimes when I go hiking I find it way too easy to keep my eyes focused on the ground as I walk rather than looking around and actually taking in all the beauty. I am always watching out for rocks and snags and holes - you know, being practical and safe.
Some of it is also that whole being in a hurry thing. Gotta finish this hike to get on to the next thing.Hurry. Hurry. Hurry. Whatever it is on my list at home: the laundry that needs moving, the bed that needs making, the emails that need to be returned, the projects that need to be completed, the garage that needs to be totally emptied and put back together again.
Yesterday I decided to make myself look up. Make myself really be present on this hike. Look up and actually see the way the trees reach for the sky; the way some branches are covered with moss like a cozy wool sweater; the way some are sprouting new growth and seem to be waking up right in front of our eyes; the way they create these complicated patterns in the sky twisting this way and that; and the way the clouds change from moment to moment as if playing a game of hide and seek.
I love that I made myself look up. Made myself slow down, be present, and see.
I also love that when we were saying the prayer with Simon tonight he said he was thankful for going on the hike.
Now before you think that our hikes are completely zen and all about being present...really those are just little moments in the overall experience that I carve out as I go along.
In reality our hikes are all about being together. About getting outside and trekking up and then back down again. About having conversations as we talk about what Lily is doing and about whether the other dog we just passed on the trail was "friendly." About comforting Simon after he trips on a rock and skins his knee. About stopping to double-knot Simon's shoes again for the third time. And chatting about what we will do next as we transition into the parking lot area (today we went to the used book store) .
It's all good. All of it. The zen moments, the crying moments, the dog moments, the transition moments, the together moments.
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64 comments
thank you for the reminder about being present and about "it all being good!"...
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I loved your post today. If I didn't live in a city still buried in snow I would get out and go for a walk in the woods!
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We all need to do this more often. (including myself)...
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such a great reminder that i (and the family) need to get out and enjoy the outdoors more...especially before it gets too blazing hot here in florida!
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The fern growing from the moss in the tree especially makes me miss Oregon! Gotta get back there! I could smell the sweet crisp air as I read your post. Thanks for the taste of home.
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there's nothing like a walk in the fresh outdoors...Simon looks like he is getting so big!
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I had no idea resurrection fern existed outside of the south! It is one of my favorite plants to see as it comes alive after a rain.
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awesome! love the hike pics...i'm jealous, we had 2feet of snow yesterday ;) lol
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Yep, isn't that what it's all about?
Being - Living - Taking it all in.
Ah, the Hurry-Hurry feelings, I'm with you!
reminds me of an AWESOME METPHOR for setting priorities...Please bear with me - wordy when inspired!
A teacher had an empty jar (life) and a pile of rocks (important things) pebbles (less important things) and sand (the "filler") He said you have to fill your jar with the rocks first, then the pebbles, then the sand.
If you start with sand and pebbles, there won't be any room left for the "big stuff".
Okay, I hope I did that justice, but I think of it all the time. You going out and hiking with your boys yesterday was putting a big rock in your jar for the day! The other stuff, the mundane, will fill itself in.
Scrapbooking - capturing those memories - that's "rocks", too!!!! Your awareness is so great Ali! Sharing it with us is an inspiration. Simon is blessed by it, for sure.
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A little bit jealous that you have things growing already in Oregon. Back in the midwest, we're still covered with a thick blanket of snow! See you at CKU!
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A good lesson for a Monday morning - be present. Thanks for the reminder.
I'm off to "slow down" and see what's happening around me.
Happy Monday.
Michelle
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Wonderful...love it. We are due for another hike..Friday after school I am thinking. :)
Thanks for sharing.
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love your photos of looking up.
looking up really makes you slow down and pause.
i am hoping this summer my family will get outdoors more. my husband and i have already started talking about it. my oldest is 4 and i know she is ready but my youngest is 2 1/2. he loves to be outdoors but just can't do it for long w/o being carried.
can't wait until the snow melts to get outdoors and look up!
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I'm not all that familiar with zen, but your photos and experience remind me of a concept I learned a year or so ago that similarly changed my perspective.
It was that when we do in that moment what God, our creator, created us to do, we give him pleasure. When we are doing what we are meant to be doing fully in that moment, THAT is worship. In that way, I can worship while washing dishes, or folding laundry if I surrender myself to my purpose.
Times like that are so refreshing because He gives them to us for us to soak in. I love the photo of the sprig of fern and the moss. You relished in His gift to you that day for that moment. You worshipped.
I feel so priveleged that you shared that filling time with us.
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How wonderful!
This is going to help me push myself to get out, go hiking, enjoy being outdoors more... I'm finding that I get too caught up in what needs to be done inside the house(i.e. laundry,dishes,cleaning-etc.)
My children need to enjoy outdoor life more...
Thank's Ali, for that little reminder to GET OUT OF THE HOUSE!!
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I had to LAUGH...my sweet husband also takes this huge backpack on our easiest day hikes...always wanting to be prepared ...it's a good thing to have a hero along...thanks for sharing...(wish we had sunshine!!)
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absolutely love this post
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All those things mixed in together are TOTALLY what family hiking is about! On our daily walks in the woods, or weekend hikes in the mountains I love to take in the breathtaking beauty of my suroundings but then there is the dog pumping for the ball, or picking up dog poop off the trail, pulling the baby's hat back down over his ears every five minutes, digging out the water bottle and chatting about the grocery list and the bills that need paying this week.
But I always feel more refreshed and clear headed when I get home...more ready to tackle everything than I did before I left.
Thanks for sharing Ali!
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You totally captured the essence of your hike in those words. Thanks for refreshing my morning (: I love your photos!
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Love it all - especially all the moments that make up all the good stuff!!! It is what keeps all the love and laughter in each and every day.
I have a think for trees so really appreciate your angles.
Thanks for sharing!!
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