We live in a world where we are constantly on the go and our electronic devices are on all around us, allowing us instant access to information. However, there is a something so pure about discovering something for ourselves. We must slow down the pace of life and connect with the art of patience.
We often discover a great deal most of inspiration in the natural world. However, we must take the time to slow down in order to observe the amazing world of the plant and animal kingdom. How many times have we gone on a nature hike in the hopes to find wildlife in action and in the end we do not even see a single squirrel or chipmunk?
Generally we are so focused on seeing what we want exactly when we want it. Once that goal is achieved we are moving on to the next best thing. When in reality, if we could venture out on our journey and then stop, wait, and maybe even connect with our breath, we would see things come to life! This reminds me of a summer that I spent in the beautiful Rocky Mountains of Estes Park Colorado. A group of us had hired a park ranger to lead us on a wildlife hike just as the evening hours began. This is the perfect time to see wildlife as the summer days are quite hot. As the sun fades and the day cools, the animals venture out to feed. I am not kidding you when I say that we did not see a single animal, not even a bird. Of course we were all a bit disappointed as we headed back to our cabins to prepare for dinner in town. Believe it or not, as we walked into the quaint area of downtown Estes for dinner, we saw about a dozen elk and several deer. The funny thing is, they were all wandering around in people’s front yards! They were hanging out by the mail boxes eating flowers! Some of the elk were just lounging in the cool grass watching us take our journey into town. We all laughed because it seemed as though the roles had switched! It appeared that we were the wildlife and the elk and deer wanted to observe us! Just as we supposedly knew the best viewing hours to see these beautiful creatures, they too knew when we would be going by to feed as well! The difference between us, aside from the fur and hooved feet, is that they were patiently waiting for while we were on a mission to discover them! They knew that we would come and instead of searching for us, they simply waited for us to come to them! Once again Mother Nature is a shining example of being in the moment.
This is a lesson in being patient and allowing the journey to be more important than the final goal. May we all take the time to slow down from this frenetic pace of life. So many of us claim that time just seems to be going faster and faster, and it is true. When we fill every hour of our day with tasks and goals the hours go by so quickly! Perhaps we could take at least one day of the week and dedicate it to being patient and present in the moment. Maybe we could let go of what we think should happen by trying to control a situation, and instead simply allow it to unfold organically. Who knows what unexpected magic may unfold?