Lost & Found on the land
Today I got lost and it was EXACTLY what I needed!
I set off from home this morning with a thermos of coffee and a handful of snacks, intending to hike up to Mermaid Mountain, and break a cycle of excessive rumination by getting a fresh perspective. This bit happened, but the gentle return walk home via an alternative (less travelled) route in time for a late breakfast ended up having a timeframe all of its own.
As I approached the western boundary of Feathertail, rather than walk directly down the hill following a route I know well, I was struck by a sudden (& stubborn) determination to find an old sunset trail that had since become overgrown with lantana, despite not having the appropriate protective clothing on or much water left…
But my headstrong nature overtook rational thought and before I knew it I was immersed in the wilds of lantana thickets twice my height, brandishing a saw in one hand and secateurs in the other (both of which I always keep in my backpack), trying to remember the shape of the land from many seasons before… was the path this way? Or that way? I wonder where this will take me if I go down here? You get the idea…
Sliding, scratching and crawling my way through - who knows for how long?- until I found a Red Cedar tree I recognised that told me I’d found the path! 🌳 I celebrated with a gulp of water and an apricot 😄
I felt sooooo good to feel LOST in these 22 acres here… to escape the incessant thought patterns, the slowness in my body and the lack of control right now and simply tend to the immediacy of the natural environment and my place in it.
Even though I was somewhat lost and unsure how to track back over steep slopes and dense gully lines, I felt empowered… in control of my choices and contributing to a bigger vision that’s alive for me here…
I want others who come here to enjoy wandering and wondering on this land as I do… hiking low impact walking trails that take you from the wet gullies up to the high slopes and back down again… getting out of the thinking mind and into the body… coming into coherence with their true nature.
(and preferably without having to crawl through lantana thickets to do it!)
As a reward for effort, I lay down on the rocks in the creek flow and let the cold water draw out a series of loud Oms that brought the birds to join me... and felt immense gratitude for the ‘lost & found’ nature of my day 💚
p.s. if making pathways on the land feels like something you’d like to help with in exchange for staying at Feathertail and enjoying your own nature retreat, please get in touch with me here