My experience on the Nolan trail was a rejuvenating break from the hectic week I had. It was a great time for me to take a step back from the business of life and reflect on the little things. Sometimes it's easy for me to get swept up in the motions of life, stressed and worrying about too many things that I lose sight of the significance of life. Instead of being thankful and at peace for my life I become an emotional wreck overcome by circumstances and I quickly slip into going through motions almost like a robot, programmed to perform a task but without emotion. Our trip to the Nolan was the perfect escape for me to focus back on God and my purpose in life. Buber's words "Creation--happens to us, burns into us, changes us, we tremble and swoon, we submit" were spot on to describe my encounter on the Nolan. Walking under the shade of large trees with sunlight streaming in and bouncing off the reflective lake and hearing the sounds of many different creatures brought me to a sense of awe towards God the creator and life.
It all began when Dr. Redick was pointing out a plant called the "devil's walking stick". I remember thinking how negative the name was. Because of a few sharp thorns it had been deemed a tool used by the devil himself. This initial thought sparked the beginning of a deeper stream of thought that would consume my mind and heart during the rest of my walk. I began to think about perspectives and how just because it may hurt US if WE touch it wrong, this plant had been given a horrifying name. But to the tree the thorns were his source of defense, a way of life and yet WE had been so quick to shrug off any consideration towards this because it was harmful to US. How ignorant and self-centered we can be sometimes! I then began to think of all life and how although many things have been deemed negative they might not be negative at all. It was at this point that I stopped at a holly tree. One glance at the prickly leaves and the same thoughts coursed through my mind. One way of life may be completely different from our own and if inconvenient to us, it becomes bad or at least given a negative connotation. Thorns may not be as bad as we make them when looked at through the tree's perspective. I mean the tree could say the same thing about all our "construction" or he would argue "destruction" as we tear down forests for our own sake. This continuation of perspective thought then led me to think about life in general. How precious life is and how easy it is to take it for granted. As I walked through the Nolan streams of sunlight poured through the trees and lit up my face, I could hear the chirps of crickets and the caws of birds scouring overhead for food. The sun danced across the glistening lake and the cool autumn breeze whirled through the air. "How precious life is!" I thought to myself, trying to soak up the entirety of Creation. Closing my eyes I felt a connection with God himself as I walked through His creation. Never before had nature moved in me, I felt one with it, my steps were nature's steps, my breath, nature's breath. It was an odd and foreign yet exhilarating sensation! My entire being had merely dissolved into God's creation and I vowed to never again take life for granted. I came back from the trail with a forever changed outlook on life and an appreciation and connection to God I've never had before.
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