Meaningful Place

Photo Credit - Wikipedia

It’s been quite some time since I last wrote. The demands of my paying jobs drained my mind of the creative pulses that drove me to write. But as the month of February winds down, I see the end of my journey of chasing the almighty dollar and a return to the life I want and need.

Tomorrow I begin a Coursera class on Aboriginal Worldviews (www.coursera.org). The instructor released the first week’s assignment this weekend and after watching the videos and reading the suggested resources, I turned to the homework.

The homework was to write an hundred-word paragraph on “my meaningful place”. I immediately wrote about my experiences on Isle Royale. From my first trip there as a naïve sixteen year old to my last backpacking trip there decades later, the island has always been a place where I felt most at home. Isle Royale tests your physical and emotional mettle. The trails are rugged, the campgrounds primitive. Depending on the time of the year you are there, the island can be abuzz with hikers and casual day tourists. Other times, you can hike for hours and not see a soul.

To hike Isle Royale requires extensive preparation. What you will need during your stay has to be carried on your back, a serious consideration when the day’s journey requires climbing up and down rocky geography. Forty pounds on your back can feel like forty tons at the end of a long day of hiking. Weight and volume takes precedence and to organize your supply list is an exercise in minimalist living.

But I digress. Isle Royale was the place where I became an adult. With no parents to guide me I was forced to make my own decisions. I admit that I did make some poor ones, but what I learned through my time there made me more independent and stronger. Isle Royale taught me that nature does not excuse humans from the elements of weather and geography and that if you walk through nature with humility and awareness a whole new world opens up to enjoy.

I found the lessons I learned to survive in the corporate world were of little use on the island. Knowing how to fix your camp stove, finding a safe shelter during a thunder storm, walking quietly will keep you safe and alive. Despite all the opportunities to inflict real physical damage to myself, I felt safe there. I wasn’t afraid of the wildlife or the treacherous and exhausting climbs up rocky trails. I learned to slow down and surrender to the situation; no amount of intellectual tantrum throwing will change the terrain or stop the rain.

I’d like to say that the lessons learned on Isle Royale remained with me once I returned home. Unfortunately, the forces of modern urban life are too strong for me and after a few days back, I find myself once again stressed. But nature continues to call me back for she knows that what I need only she can provide. I am grateful to be in a position to live the life I have and if I just would listen to what is in my heart, what wonderful gifts would be given to me.