Journey

Somewhere, undoubtedly, there are two people who are sitting at the same social gathering, perhaps in the same room, perhaps only fifteen feet from one another, and they are texting back and forth on their personal cell phones. Or maybe they are sitting in the same room on a couch and watching a scripted play of someone else’s existence, while their own life flickers away in desperate disconnection.

Me?

I am among the trees of the forest.

My calves are straining and sweat is smothering my brow. The sun is permeating my skin with golden beams. I am walking up a mountain with a heavy pack, and my friends are behind me. Our day has proved strenuous, but lively blood pressure reminds us that we are indeed… alive. This morning we crossed a rushing stream on our way to the sunny ledges.

We accomplished several hills today and we are almost to camp, where we will finally rest. We will start a fire and rummage through our packs for some sustenance.  We will converse with one another. We will not communicate like the couple at the social gathering. We will not languish like those on the couch. Instead, we will look into the face of the person with whom we are speaking. We will feel the energy of their words, and understand the idiosyncrasies of their expressions. Our spirits will shake with exchanged emotion and we may even reach a point of common understanding.  One thing is for sure. We will always remember this day.

Connection is possible in our world. It is a world without fabrication.

Finally, with the sun seeking its resting place, and the moon rising to prominence, we will close our weary eyes under the blanket of a speckled, silver sky.

We will breathe the cool, New England air as our spirits mellow with a most indulgent high.

And together, we will dream of the journey to come.