Blog 21 The Hill: The Place is the Teacher. The Gift (Gary)

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                  The importance of a physical challenge to complement emotional growth cannot be overestimated in its positive influence.  The Hill provides this for Mark and I. 

                  Sometimes I hate this walk.  I am like a student resisting the teaching, then finally, joyously letting it in.  Sigh, thank you mountain.

                  Every step here is a page.  “Down” feels like I’ve been cleansed, “up” the holding and preparing for the release.  “What would it take to be here, fully present to this place and my heart?” is a question I have asked many times. 

                  You can’t see a natural scene through the glass, feeling isolated and separated from the world, the way a latchkey child feels looking at the world through a window.  The hardest thing in the world for me sometimes is to just be where I am, as Gary.

                  Unfortunately, many men I know hike only to time themselves from one place to another and credit themselves with distance and speed.  They miss the beauty and the nurture of nature by just being.  Try just sitting in an isolated spot in nature for a day.  Not on a day.  For a full day, morning to dusk. Great preparation for Vision Quest.

The picture below is The Gift. It could not have happened without my being present. By my being present the fox felt safe to be present (Note: 6 ft away). Thus a beautiful moment in time I will never forget. And there are more to share.

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