Day 21 - I have to say I am pretty darn proud of myself for getting out to my spot almost every day since the start of the Wilderness Awareness School's "30 Day Sit Spot Challenge.(http://kamana.org/lessons/articles/30-day-sit-spot-challenge/)
I was initially excited by the idea of starting the sit spot routine and the 30-Day Challenge gave me a good reason to try it out. The sit spot is THE core routine of the Kamana Naturalist program and it has quickly become an essential part of my day. In my 37 years, I have NEVER been a morning person....but I've rarely missed an early morning sit in the past 3 weeks. For me, it has become a necessary part of starting the day off with a clear and present mind. On his new CD's "Reclaiming Our Natural Connection," Jon Young talks a lot about our need for a little bit of timelessness in our day. Can you remember the last time you just spent some time NOT worrying about time. We've allowed ourselves to become so over-scheduled and time sensitive, that we rarely give ourselves even 15 minutes to just relax and let our brains get some downtime. We just move from event to event, squeezing more and more activity into each day. In the past, the only time I've really allowed myself timelessness has been done while sitting in front of the TV; but in those cases I also typically had my laptop open and my mind was rarely present in the moment. That was not downtime for me at all and I never felt anything regenerative as a result of this. What I have enjoyed most about the "sit spot" routine is that it has given me permission to have that regenerative time and has allowed me to see things I've never seen. I guess that is what JY means when he says that you "need to lose your mind to come to your senses." If you are reading this and have never tried doing a sit spot or just giving yourself some timelessness each day, I HIGHLY recommend it.
My "sit" today was a short stroll through the forest on my way into work. I spent most of the time trying to avoid big mudholes along the trail. The most enjoyable part of my walk was the sight of a robin, sitting in a tree facing the morning sun, just singing his heart out. I felt compelled to stop and just soak in the moment as the sun bounced off of his "orange" breast, while he belted out his song with such enthusiasm and vigor. I am certain that all life in the area has had to hunker down over the past few nights, as the thunderstorms have rolled through, so it was almost as if this bird was singing his "thanks" to the sun for the warmth it was providing him. I was just thankful for the few quiet moments I took aside the trail to enjoy such a simple and wonderful display of pure gratitude.
With Thankfulness and Appreciation...Greg(a.k.a The Accidental Naturalist)
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