Life Goal: Hang Out on More Large Rocks 

My original Saturday afternoon plans consisted of hanging out at a book store with a cup of tea. The weather all week had been calling for 80% chance of thunderstorms, however much to my delight the storm passed and the skies called me for a hike. I picked up my friend and headed east for a late afternoon adventure.

I had wanted to do a different hike but with our time constraint, we chose Sturgeon Falls. The trail was a new experience for my friend and I was happy to just be out enjoying the fresh air.

We literally hung out on a large rock for two hours. It was a glorious two hours! We chatted off and on but mostly we did our own thing. Silence!

I brought my fishing rod and cast the line out countless times. The motion of casting is soothing. “One more cast, one more cast”, I kept saying to myself “and then I will do something different.” One more cast turned into another and another. Catching fish is great but I love the calmness I feel from just casting and reeling, over and over.

I read a couple chapters of The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: The Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life. My goal is to read twelve books this year and I am currently on number twelve. I stretched out on the big rock and used my pack as a pillow. When I wasn’t looking at the book, I glanced through the tree branches towards the sky where birds hovered and the clouds moved. Peace!

For years I have gone through stages where I will practice yoga on a regular basis and other times I won’t touch the mat for months. I didn’t need a mat yesterday, just a big rock and my breath. I liked that the rock was bumpy and the wind blew. My abs had a workout that they rarely ever see. It felt good to just be.

I love the sounds that nature shares. Birds chipping, branches rustling, wind blowing on the water creating stronger rapids. It’s mostly silent though. A silence that I have come to crave. A silence that I honor and appreciate.

A goal of mine now is to hang out on more large rocks and just be one with the silence. How beautiful!