We Need the Tonic of Wildness
In a couple of days, I depart for adventure -- camping with my husband, and my first backpacking trip with a friend. It is hard to describe how excited I am. Extremely. And, because this is California in addition to anticipating stunning locales, I am also tracking wildfires and air quality, feeling and releasing anxiety.
For me, this trip is BIG. At the beginning of this year, I had a major health scare that presented like neurological issues but turned out to be mysteriously... nothing? Stress? Those months of uncertainty and MRIs and fearing-the-worst were more than enough to renew my gratitude to be alive and well, to be in a body that can move, that can, for now, be trusted. Right in the midst of it, I started planning this trip and began the big, steep hikes that have been my training for this trip -- no one knows when their health will change, and NOW is a good time to embrace a challenge and enjoy what this body can do today.
Thoreau wrote, "We need the tonic of wildness." I feel that deeply, the call of the wild, the need for the medicine and therapy of nature. Outdoors with the trees, the moving water, the fresh air, I feel (we feel) a sense of wellbeing that is whole-being: physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual. Out in the wild, Netflix, Instagram, and all the rest easily fade into irrelevance as the vividness of here and now presents itself.
Being outside, feeling ourselves as part of the natural world, is our heritage and birthright... AND in this era and culture, it is a privilege to be able to retreat, to be unreachable and untethered.
For all of these reasons and more, it's important for me to view this time as more than a trip. Instead, I’m viewing this time as sacred. When I view this time as sacred, it has me be very intentional:
I intend to be as present as possible in each moment, to lean in, to soak up each experience, to drink it down without reservation, without guilt.
I intend to pause often, to be in a state of mindful practice -- going still and quiet, turning on all my senses and just being.
I intend to be deeply connected to my body, moving with care, nourishing with love, immersing myself in water, lying on the earth, appreciating being in this body as it is in this moment.
I intend to be exuberant and effusive in my appreciation and awe, not blasé; to make a big freaking deal about the world and all its magic. (What do we gain by being cool?)
I intend to surrender to the teachings of this trip, the delights and the challenges, to see it all as a divine curriculum for my growth and healing.
I intend to continually tell myself a story of safety, where I am held and welcomed by the natural world, not threatened; a story of homecoming and connection, not fear.
We can step into this way of being without taking a big trip, without taking time off work, of course. The location isn’t the thing, it’s the mindset and the intentions.
Do any of these intentions resonate with you? Can you / do you put them on like coveralls when you go out on a walk, to water the garden, to check the weather, or out on your own summer adventure? My wish for all of us is the tonic of wildness — a taste of the wildness of the world, and of our own inner wildness.
I expect that when I return, I will be changed and refreshed, high on this tonic. I’ll be bringing this energy into all that’s on offer in August:
I hope to see you soon, and I wish you joy in being you,
🌸 Katie
🌼 Learn from the Natural World:
Self-Access Resources: Access meditations, recommended reading, and more to connect with the Nature World
One-to-One: Contact me to arrange a Mindful Outdoor Experience — either in person in the Monterey, CA area, or via a phone call as you connect more deeply with the outdoors wherever you are.
