Chat Walks
Creating word threads with nature
“Look up at the sky. There is a light, a beauty up there, that no shadow can touch.” - J.R.R. Tolkien
My friend and I are dedicated walkers. We walk to stay physically healthy and mentally sane. Unfortunately we live too far apart to walk together regularly, so we’ve gotten in the habit of texting one another when we have something to share. Of course we could just call, but talking is a distraction. Neither of us wants to miss the feel of the late afternoon breeze on our cheeks, the sudden scamper of a critter across our path, or the evolving shapes of the clouds in the sky.
Over time, our texts have covered everything from the weather, political signs dotting our neighbors’ lawns, and ingrown toenails (the bane of every serious walker’s existence) to the sudden and deafening buzzing of cicadas. My personal favorites involve the landscape itself and the wildlife we encounter. Having grown up in southern California, where the prevalent colors are smog-filtered blue, dusty desert brown, and cement gray, I’m still completely mesmerized by the omnipresent green of North Carolina. I will often stop and stand in a particularly lovely puddle of sunlight shining through the trembling leaves of oak trees. Likewise, looking up to find a barred owl staring down at me from a nearby branch can still bring tears to my eyes. I am willing to stand in an owl’s presence - trading unspoken secrets - for as long as they will have me.
Yesterday it was a turkey vulture whose meal I inadvertently interrupted. There was a clatter and rush of black wings beating the air just over my head. I looked up to find a featherless red head with a hooked, ivory white beak staring down at me with obvious annoyance. “So sorry,” I whispered as I hurried on, wondering how I might capture the vulture’s magic in a text.
My friend, who grew up and still lives on a farm, is more captivated by the sky. She will often remind me to “look up” when she sees a particularly stunning cumulus cloud or a full moon on the horizon. And of course when words fail, there are always photos to share. Below is a copy of the brief exchange we recently shared.
Jena
Waves! Whatcha doing?
Ginger
Hey. Walking on the farm. Pretty sunset.
Jena
Me too! Frogs are singing. Cicada’s blasting. Just saw a hawk being harassed by crows.
Ginger
Was enjoying the green trees lining the big field and a GROUNDHOG ran in front of me !
Jena
What?! How cool is that?
Ginger
VERY! He disappeared into his burrow beside the old storage building.
Jena
Wow, I’ve never seen a groundhog.
What did he look like?
Ginger
Pudgy and brown. The size of a big cat.
Jena
I’m jealous!
Ginger
I think I startled him as much as he startled me!!!
Never been so close to a groundhog!!!
Needless to say we compared notes when we talked on the phone later, and I got to learn more about her experiences growing up on her family’s farm. Working in the garden, waking to the sounds of big trucks and other machinery coming and going, seeing the various crops grow from seedlings into harvestable plants. And of course the large open fields that offered such stunning views of the sky. It was all new and interesting to me and a great way to get to know my friend a little better. - Jena Ball
An Invitation
Many thanks to Ginger and Jena for sharing their Chat Walk. We’d love to have you join us by trying some “Chat Walks” of your own. Nothing too time consuming or distracting. Use them as a way to create a connection between yourself and someone you’d like to know a little better - as a way to share the natural world with one another.
We’d also love to have you join us. You can learn how to take part by clicking HERE. There is no obligation to share, but if you’d feel the urge, please email your submission to AgelessMindProject@gmail.com.
Previous Nature Journal Posts
Walking Meditation by Maria Brown
My Roots by Audrey Roth
Exploring Nature with Beethoven by Joshua Berrett
The Zen of Floofles by Lorraine Evanoff
Corresponding with Nature by Phil Youngblood and Lynne Berrett
True Synchronicity by Lorraine Tillbury
A Magical Beethoven Experinece by Joshua Berrett
Parallel Walking by Sheila Webber
Luminosity by Jena Ball
Chenonceau Castle by Lorraine Tilbury
My First Experiment by Lynne Berrett
Nature Journaling with Phil by Phil Youngblood
Rhythm as Old as Time by Gloria Horton-Young
Sing the Song of Your People by Jena Ball
Cultivating and Ageless Mind with Nature by Phil Youngblood
A Life Shaped by Nature by Phil Youngblood
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I do this with my daughter as we're walking. It's a feeling of connection within connection--nature and nurture, both human and divine.