Listening With Your Heart
Recently, I returned from vacationing (hiking) in southern Utah. A beautiful and spiritual place. While in the Bryce Canyon National Park Lodge, I stumbled on a book called, “Listening With Your Heart: Lessons from Native America.” Part of me said, “don’t buy it, you’ve got way too many books living in your home already.” But another part said, “This book is calling out to you, bring it home.”
It offers sayings, chants and suggestions to improve your health. Honestly, just being in the wilderness improved my health. I slowed down. I revved up my creativity. I used my body. I met new people. I witness the darkest sky I’ve ever seen. I listened to the birds. I fed my body with delicious food. I opened my eyes to new possibilities. I hiked about 3 miles up a river to a slot canyon that required all my muscular and staying in the moment strengths. (See pic of me sloshing up ahead. Lots of slippy rapids with rocks to traverse, often up to my upper thighs. This part was pretty calm and not too rocky.)
I also stayed disconnected to the wired world the entire time. No cell phone. No Internet. No computer. I refuse to be chained to an electronic device. I know it’s a trend, but it’s not an addiction I’m going to take on..
Here’s my favorite saying in the entire book: For a second let it stop: The rush, the deadline, the self-imposed slavery of “must do.”
So many of us rush to the ends of our lives without stopping to smell the roses or question why we rush to the end. If anything, I’m trying to slow my life down even more, to savor the juicy morsels. to hike up more rivers because it’s something I will cherish towards the end of my life.
Do you listen to life with your heart?
Thanks, G.
RSS
Lovely writing and thoughts, G. Sounds like your trip was profound. I have these experiences in nature too. My challenge is to bring it back to daily life and stop frequently to remember. That’s my new thing. Recognizing that it takes conscious and constant remembering to live this kind of life. That it doesn’t happen automatically or easily, as I would like to believe!
Hi Patty,
Yes, great point! We need to bring our vacation restfulness home with us. To make our lives more vacation like. I’m still trying to figure out who’s holding the whip behind us, shouting faster, faster.
Thanks! G.
One of my two favorite trips was to Alaska where the Lovely Miss TK and I spent 15 days, 8 days of which were spent on trains and in wilderness lodges and 7 days on a cruise. The lodges and trains were opportunities to just enjoy nature, we had wonderful private rooms at the lodges and big bubble trains to traverse Alaska. Just amazing watching the wild go by slowly on the train rides and just enjoying the walks around the lodge property on normally safe trails. At one lodge, we had to stay very close to the main lodge as they had some Mama Bear issues in the previous few days over some new cubs that had wandered into the area.
The cruise was just a great time to go outside early every day and just watch the wildlife on the shores and in the water. You are right about it giving you a new life, unconnected and just letting yourself listen to your heart beat.
I really need to go back in the next couple of years after I finish my Rotary Governor year on June 30, 2014. I will need the stillness then.
Hi Lou,
Wow, Rotary Governor. No wonder your chapter does so much local good with you at the helm.
That’s a cool trip you went on with Miss TK. I like the way it was broken up so you could experience Alaska from a variety of vantage points. Thanks for the reminder! Jimmy and I need to go there as well.
You just made me realize that if we don’t listen to our own heartbeat we forget we are human … Love that! Appreciate this, G.