I just came back from a hike in a state park that has become, over the years, a sort of sacred haven for me and a place to experience nature’s quiet beauty.
As I got in my car after the three hour hike, I realized that I had not experienced the serenity and the connection to the eternal that I usually do when I hike.
Rather than letting the beauty of this place impress itself upon me, I had brought my thoughts and troubles into the park and, in a way, challenged nature to rid me of them. This was a violation of the peacefulness of the place.
We all know not to drop our physical garbage in the park (although not everyone is so enamored of that rule either). But do we think enough about ridding ourselves of emotional garbage before we encounter nature?
This was a wasted opportunity to experience the divine and I have really disappointed myself.
