Lingering

When I hike in Yosemite, it’s not the destination that matters the most. It’s the journey getting there. While the view from the top of North Dome is spectacular, and I love to stand where three canyons meet, it’s along the trail that I discover something new and have the chance to interact with it. When I stumble into a small meadow, I linger and explore the landscape, its wildflowers, chipmunks, and birds. When I notice an old path leading off, I follow that and find myself at the edge overlooking the valley.

I want to be open to the moment and allow the unexpected to happen and teach me something that I didn’t know existed. When I’m reading and a paragraph blows me away, I want to set the book down and figure out why it has moved me, then let the words ruminate inside for the rest of the day so that I can let it lead me further. It might take me a year to read a good book this way, but I will understand a great deal more. I should read nature at the same pace.