A Valuable Life Lesson

“If we don’t listen to the voice of our soul, it sings a stranger tune. If we don’t go looking for what lies beneath the surface of our lives, the soul comes looking for us.” Elizabeth Lesser

In the 1990’s my husband and I chose to hike a coastal trail on the west coast of Newfoundland. It was an absolutely stellar day. The temperature was in the low 20’s, clear blue sky and a breeze strong enough to keep the mosquitos at bay. It was about a 25km hike and we were at the trail head shortly after sunrise. The days were long and there was no rush to return to the campsite. The day was ours. When I am with nature I tend move slowly unless time does not permit. I often feel like Anne of Green Gables, just drinking everything in and engaging fully in the experience. I desire to not only see everything but feel it as well. At one point on the trail there was a rocky beach below us and we decided to climb down to it. It was an easy descent and once on the beach, we met a geologist who was happy to share his wisdom with me, a lover of rocks. I have no idea how long we were there as I was totally present to the experience and lost all track of time. I left with the gift of one of the geologist’s prize finds of the day: a beautiful heart shaped stone that I felt honoured to be the caretaker of until it was time to pass it on or return it to Mother Nature. That day was Grace-filled. There were deep soul-nurturing conversations with other hikers on the trail who like me, were enraptured with the beauty that surrounded us — ocean broken by the rocky cliffs that gave way to open areas abundant with wild flowers and then to forest where the birds serenaded us as we walked. So many wonders of nature to experience and feel in every cell of my body as they vibrated with life energy.

There were many hikers on the trail that day, all with their own reasons for being there. One couple in particular stood out to me. They were moving so fast there was only time to share a smile before they had disappeared out of sight. 

We arrived back at the car as the sun was sinking below the ancient weather worn mountains. Our car had not been the first one in the parking lot that morning but it was the last one in the parking lot at the end of the day. It had been a truly enchanting day; my soul was nurtured and my heart was joyous. 

At our campsite, as we prepared dinner, we realized that the couple who had been moving so quickly on the trail were tented next to us. We struck up a conversation. They too had had a full day. They had completed three hiking trails and were very pleased with their efforts. They were from out of province and they had two weeks in Newfoundland with a full itinerary that would be completed rain or shine. When I asked them about what they had enjoyed about the trails, they said that there had been nothing to enjoy about the trails themselves as they were just trails. However, they told me the number of minutes and seconds it took them to do each one. They were focusing on quantity: how many trails, how many kilometers, how fast, and how far they had made it on their check list of things to accomplish during their Newfoundland experience. As the conversation continued, I could see this was the template for their life. They were literally in the fast lane celebrating all the things they had accomplished in life and they were only in their thirties.

Even though I had experienced a fulfilling day, I felt envy rising from within. I too was in my thirties but had accomplished very little if I compared myself to them. An old pattern was engaged: I am not enough. I am too slow and if I don’t speed up, I will be left behind. Life is passing me by. I need to do more. I am getting old and have done nothing with my life. It was all rising to the surface. I was disengaged from my soul and was fully engaged in ego. I was very quiet as I ate my dinner. Somehow my amazing day was no longer so amazing. I had only walked 25km and it had taken me the entire day. There was nothing in my day to compare to what they had accomplished and there was certainly nothing to celebrate.

A vehicle pulled up on the other side of us and it was the geologist we had met on the beach. After he had pitched his tent and had eaten his dinner, he joined us by the fire. The other couple had turned in early as they had another full day planned for the day ahead. He told us about his adventures on the beach. He had spent most of the morning there and then the afternoon on the table lands, which is a geologist’s dream place to explore. He shared his stories with a deep passion. He was not interested in quantity; he was focused on quality. In that moment, I saw the mirror. When nurturing my soul, I experienced joy and that was quality. My value was quality not quantity. It was a powerful life lesson. As we continued to converse, I learned that his minor at University had been in astronomy. I was just as fascinated by stars as I was by rocks so I was intrigued. It was dark, the sky was clear, the fire had burned low and I grabbed a blanket and laid down on the ground with face turned upward toward the stars.  For the next couple of hours, we had a guided tour of the night sky above us. Once again, my soul was nurtured and the joy that I had felt earlier that evening was present. This stranger was not only sharing his gifts — he was a gift himself!

As I crawled into my sleeping bag that night, my heart was full. That Grace-filled day had a powerful life lesson that has served, and continues to serve me well. I have learned that moving slowly serves me just as well as its opposite. There is a time for both and I can do both well but not when I am serving my ego. I am aware of that old thought pattern but it no longer serves my path and no longer has power over me. The shame and guilt are no longer present. I think of that stranger on the beach and how in the brief time we shared, how he shaped my life and how I have been prepared for this time.

2020 is a year for me to move slowly. There is absolutely nothing to rush to or rush for. There is literally nowhere to go. Moving slowly allows me to engage fully in life here and to see more deeply—to see with the eyes of my soul. In this time of tremendous global transition, I trust my soul to guide me. I am listening!