A Gathering of Wisdom

 

Walden Pond

 

 

 

"I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach ~ and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived."
                            ~ HENRY DAVID THOREAU (Walden) ~ 


A Gathering of Wisdom:
~ On a study retreat(Authentic Leadership in Action Institute), I found paths through the fields and woods of Nova Scotia, on a university campus, a contemplative environment.

~ Visiting dear friends in Massachusetts, I discovered their home within the Walden Woods Preserve, ancient stone walls following trails to secluded ponds...some of the very land Thoreau explored while writing.

~ In Maine, another dear friend explored the wooded trails of Acadia, the oldest national park on the east coast, windblown coastal firs and birch, mirroring our own Pacific forests.

 
~ In N.Y.C., more dear friends walked the pavement beneath arching sycamores and beloved gingkos.

~ Returning home, to endless "woods", forests of our Pacific Northwest, I am called to gather the wisdom and learn again to live deliberately, simply.

Neahkahnie Mountain,Pacific Ocean

"The true harvest of my daily life is somewhat as intangible and indescribable as the tints of morning or evening. It is a little stardust caught, a segment of the rainbow which I have clutched."
                                             ~THOREAU~

A Gathering of Wisdom is perpetual, is near, far or in between....intangible, yet clear. Perhaps we all live our lives to the best of our abilities - not right or wrong, good or bad - just living the best we can with who we are and what we are given.
In one friend's home, a Thoreau quote: "We are constantly called to be what we are." What meaning do those words have today? What are we - you and I? Another intangible that we hope will become clear as we journey.


"I learned this: that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life he has imagined, he will meet with success unexpected in common hours....
However mean your life is, meet it and live it. Love your life, poor as it is....Rather than love, than money, than fame, give me truth...only that day dawns to which we are awake. There is more day to dawn. The sun is but a morning star."
                                           ~ THOREAU~ 

 Gathering wisdom, I learned this:
At ALIA retreat symposium(Halifax) ~ Mindfulness practice = silent respect, surprising sense of immediate community, acceptance, inclusion, flexibility, safety, clarity
~ calm down, focus, slow tempo, open
~ enveloped by attentive listening, profound understanding, intuitive compassion even in the midst of intensive learning
~ comfortable with silence or conversation within large(200+) & small groups(10+)
~ Practical process of contemplative, decisive decision & action for change
~ an important event, retreat, symposium of people from around the world, various simple & complex careers, exploring problems together, working to make the world more compassionate, exciting, instilling curiosity & wonder, a source of wisdom gathered from all 200+ participants.


Traveling on(Boston, Maine, NYC) to gather wisdom from visits with friends of 40 years, I learned this: ~my great good fortune to have close, honest, true friends who, though separated by thousands of miles and many years, remain bound by some intangible connection(like Thoreau's rainbow).
~ Learning and growing from each other's successes and failures
~ gathering and giving intuitive life skills as we approach this new chapter of life

And most of all: I am so fortunate to have this life, this place, this freedom, the clarity of air, mind, life. The "woods" on both sides of this vast country, the mountains, the seas, the sky, thankfully preserved to inspire. It's time to continually work to preserve more, to make sure not just our children, but everyone's children, live to know this inspiration.
Gathering wisdom ~ a perpetual journey ~simply,clearly,mindfully we learn.