Hiking and Gravity
The year has begun with an abundance of adventures. A new year often starts this way, full of bright possibilities, responsibilities not yet in full swing, and renewed energy allowing for lots of last minute plans and escapades. The transition from time off to school/work is never fun as the feelings of structure imposed by academics takes time to get used to again. Sometimes I have to escape. The pace of 2016 has become something like this: cramming to fulfill responsibilities during the week and walking side by side with friends through the weekends. Really, I'm only thinking of two weekends and a retreat, but it feels like enough time and purposeful living took place in a few weekends to fuel me for many days to come. I say purposeful living meaning simply living life while welcoming others to join in. When fellow humans are included into the orbit of our day to day, bonds of friendships are produced not built on fancy things, but simple things. These are the friendships of substance.
It could be a hike, or maybe a trip to the store, or sitting together in quiet to read, or cooking together, or Chic-Fil-A coffee, or standing with each other through the difficulty of seeing others go to South Africa and not us. Sometimes we don't need big plans with a set crew, sometimes we just need people. We can get a wide range of care/laughter/challenge from friends. Close friend are great, but at the same time the world is full of too many extraordinary people to stop being open to new relationships. I don't think I will ever reach a point where I can say, "I don't need to get to know you." People orbit in and out of our lives for reasons as incomprehensible as the gravity pulling us together. It's no accident, this gravity and people phenomenon. I find it highly amusing the way God gives us exactly what we need, in fellow human beings, in ways that make us smile.
The other day I hiked with friends to a waterfall on a picturesque Southern California Sunday afternoon. The trail was a one way trail, so it was populated with people coming and going each direction. We had amassed a large group of people, one car turned to three, for our hike, all needing some air outside of the city life we function in. Naturally pairs and trios of people formed, bounding over hills and stepping precariously over rocks to cross streams. I hiked near the front because if I'm going to hike I like a steady pace to work up a sweat. There was a place on the trail a large oak tree stood off to the right. The branches were so long and far reaching they stretched through the air over the entire width of our walking path. The light of the afternoon sun became splotchy as we treaded beneath the branches.
I like wide trails like these ones because walking next to another person is possible. We walked next to each other, but also ahead of others and behind in clusters. On all sides I had people. I looked up and to the left, making occasional eye contact with the human beside me as we engaged in conversation, then back to the trial bellow to avoid tripping. I am prone to tripping. Conversation continued from beneath the branches and down the hill, under the bridge, over the rocks, beside the stream. Humans stayed beside me all the way to the graffitied waterfall. We paused for the cliche pictures and snack of trail mix, turning quickly into a game of throwing peanuts into open mouths. Humans stayed beside me on the hike back to the parking lot, our finish line, where we sat in a row on a curb drinking from Nalgenes and watching the light particles reflect off the landscape. We rose to commence walking up a hill to our cars and as is expected from this bunch of twenty year olds the walk up the hill became a run/race up the hill. We got in our cars, windows down, headed East with music filling the space between our satisfied hearts.
Hiking is always a good way to stomp down the walls of divide because there is either silence or talking out on the trail. Through the talking and the sweating and the accomplishing of miles we force open the gates that too easily guard us. We are reminded the simple strength in staying beside someone. I value friendships who walks beside me through the shadows and hills. Sometimes it's a quiet walking, simply being there with another through the wilderness. Sometimes it's loud and rowdy, bumping shoulders and racing to the finish. The most beautiful moment is the finish, when I look up and to the left and am greeted with a soft smile, then up and to the right and greeted with a different bright eyed smile. As we orbit around each other we might have the pleasure of entering one another's orbits. I don't understand this gravity we are in. As long as gravity is pulling people closer to walk beside me then I am perfectly content in the unknowing.
Photos curtesy of the always lovely Clarissa Talley.
This one is photo cred me :)
