Along the Way

This may be one of those days when I multi-blog, 

so many things I want to share.

My Nepo-reading today included this quote from Theodore Roethke:

I learn, by going, where I have to go.

Then Mark Nepo talked about walking a path around a lake and being

drawn to a clearing off the beaten path, where they 

"lost the urge to go at all" 

and

"heard a thread of stream unravel in a song that birds imitate."

Lovely, eh?

But for me, the loveliest part was the meditation following his conclusion that 

"it is the path off the path that brings us to God."

Here's the meditation:

~ Center yourself and imagine your life as a path about a beautiful lake.

~Breathe slowly and trace your path to where you are today.

~Breathe deeply and imagine tomorrow's part of the path coming into view.

Smell the unmarked trails.

~As you enter your day, stay open to the unexpected clearings that call to you.

I am so grateful for all the camping trips my family took when I was a child

and for those Rob and I took together in the 80's,

because I know exactly what those unmarked trails smell like! 

(Now, wonder what "pictures" will show up today?)