A ship in harbor is safe, but that is not
what ships are built for. ~ John A. Shedd
My husband and I recently hiked a new-to-us trail at Radnor Lake State Park. He’s training for a bucket list elk hunt and to my delight, we’re hiking together more often.
On numerous occasions over the last thirty years, I have hiked my beloved Radnor by myself or with friends. You can read several daily meditations on August 2 and 3 in Finding the Gift that were directly inspired by hikes at Radnor. The Lessons from Trees poem at the beginning of my book was also inspired by Radnor.
Usually, my go-to course includes hiking Ganier Ridge for a workout, and then walking the Lake Trail for beauty and recovery. Once with a friend, I did South Lake Trail, which was a nice alternate path.
For some reason, I had never ventured onto South Cove Trail, which my husband and I did for the first time last week. I have seen the signs for it, but I didn’t know anything about it. In fact, the only reason I went on South Lake Trail once is because I was with a friend who had done it before (Thanks Diane!).
Apparently, I had slipped into a comfort zone at Radnor Lake without even knowing it. I didn’t think anything could be better, and I had felt too intimidated to try an unknown trail alone.
We were delightfully surprised to fall in love with South Cove Trail, perhaps even more than everything else. We discovered diversity (up, down, around, repeat), beauty, and a greater physical challenge, due to steeper inclines.
I was so overcome by the mystery of the trail and the metaphors for life that I started dictating into my phone, even as I hiked. I walk and write via dictation often, but due to the nature of this story, I’ve left what follows in the present tense, so you can be on the journey with me, in real
time.
We are on South Cove Trail at Radnor, after asking a friend how to mix up the hike we're used to. There is something so thrilling about not having walked this way before and my spirit is bubbling with curiosity in
every step.
We have no idea where it’s going to come out. We didn’t look at a map to see the layout of the trail, what we would pass, or where we would finish. We simply followed our friend’s direction to the trail
head and started the climb. I forgot how exciting it is to do something new and unknown, even if it is a little scary to let go of knowing exactly how this will play out and how long this hike will last. We don't know if it's going to be thirty minutes or two hours, but we're game.
Oh, here come the life parallels! I’m reminded of several daily meditations in my book that relay the importance of a life filled with variety.
From May 19, Appreciating Mystery and Uncertainty
We crave the unexpected. We need a fair amount of uncertainty. How boring would life be if everything was predictable? Appreciate the suspended moments in time when you don’t know what’s going to happen or how things are going to turn out. Will you get the job? Is the house going to sell? Is
it a boy or a girl? Is he or she the one? Relish the suspense. Learn to surrender the outcome and enjoy the moment.
I was definitely enjoying the moment and didn’t want it to end. It’s not every day we can do something for the first time or go somewhere we’ve never been. I knew after today, South Cove Trail would never be brand new to us again, and
I wanted to cherish every second of the mystery.
Physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually—we are designed to rise to challenges, to be a little scared or hesitant, and then do something anyway, unsure of the
outcome.
Too much certainty in life, too much predictability, too much comfort is … too much! We crave diversity. We long for variety. Regularly, we need to be stimulated and have our interests piqued. We were created to
tread unknown territory. Our spirits need to face the choices that require us to be brave and forge a different way.
My husband and I could’ve easily chosen the path we already knew, but we made a different choice today
and wow, what a pay-off. We are seeing views we’ve never enjoyed before. The other trail is lovely, but more routine, whereas this feels new and exciting.
Without me realizing, it had become too easy to stop seeing
wonder moment by moment on a trail we were familiar with. There is nothing wrong with a routine as long as we mix it up from time to time. There’s a balance between being too safe and comfortable, and being too risky and reckless.
From Finding the Gift on August 9, Rhythm and Roll:
We need a balance between the expected and unexpected. Too much of either is not a satisfying life. Too much routine leads to boredom and
stagnation. Too much uncertainty can lead to a steady state of insecurity, doubt and fear.
Each of us has to find our own happy place. When we meet with a financial advisor, they ask about risk tolerance. They need to know where a client is in life, because different stages require different levels of risk.
The same is true for our pursuits of mystery and uncertainty. In our twenties, we may decide to sell everything we own and backpack Europe for six months. In our fifties, we may decide to hike a new trail for a small diversion, or build a home in the
middle of the woods, as a much bigger venture into the unknown.
How about you? What would you consider a bold move, small and large, at the stage of life you're in?
Wherever you’re at in life, strike a balance that gets your heart rate up just a little now and then, and gives you something to look forward to. Put yourself in a position to NOT know exactly what’s around the next bend.
FTG February 27, My Small Part of the Tapestry:
I don’t know any road trips where you can see
the end from the beginning. If you can, it’s not much of a trip.
Occasionally on this hike, the lake will reappear off in the distance, which serves as a benchmark to orient me on this unfamiliar course. When I
don’t see it, I lose my sense of the bigger picture. Being enveloped by the woods can add wonder and excitement on a nature trail, but not feel so great in real life.
If you’re going to embrace a little uncertainty and go
off trail, whatever that looks like for you, have trusty landmarks or benchmarks to help you stay grounded. In life, that may mean a friend that you check in with regularly, someone who has a bird's eye perspective and can tell if you’ve gotten off balance, to one extreme or another.
Gifts, mystery and adventure await! When facing a choice today, weigh the risks and consider the unknown, adventurous path.
FTG, October 18, Find
Your Pulse
Beware of a life lacking in adventure and excitement. Pay attention when you’re saying No if somewhere deep inside you a voice is saying, Yes! Please!
P.S. As it turned out, South Cove Trail
ended thirty-five minutes later on the same road we started, just farther down. We knew exactly where we were and which way to keep walking to get where we wanted to be.
We laughed, remembering how great it felt as
we headed off into the wild unknown, wondering if the hike would last for “hours” and take us far, far away. All along, we were never really too far from known territory, even when nothing looked familiar.
This
alone is a nugget to cherish when we're considering an unknown path, or we’re already on one and feel like life has carried us too far from home base. Most of the time, we haven't wandered so far that we can’t return fairly quickly if we need and want to. So take the risk! You can (almost) always come back home.
