Walking through the park I basked in cool breeze puffs and
warm sun caresses. Enjoying the bits of budding green, I walk round and round
the path. As I crossed the bridges, I looked for life in the creek. I peered
into the sky and trees to view the newly migrated birds. Nature enjoyed in ways
possible only after a harsh, colder winter.
As I meandered down the path, I also people watched. My walk
would not have the same feel, the same energy, if it were not for my fellow
sojourners. With these strangers I form community if only for a brief moment.
And, with these intimate strangers, I experience and share the joy of being in
the beauty of Spring unfolding. Although I walk alone in the wetlands, I am
part of a greater community of walkers sharing in the beauty of an early Spring
day.
Engaging my fellow travelers while maintaining respectful
boundaries can be a daunting, tricky task. I pay particular attention to the body
language of my fellow walkers. When I look at the other, I notice the tilt of
their head. If our eyes meet, I smile, say hello, or even offer a smidgen
conversation. Or, perhaps they initiate first contact. How wonderful these
moment when our eyes meet and words flow! Our interactions, through brief, are
tinged with the joy and the happiness of being in the beauty of nature.
Reaching out to the unknown person, the intimate stranger,
often radically changes my day. With that interaction, the person becomes more real
to me. More than a stranger…they become part of my circle of being. I no longer
feel so alone, and solutions to what I believe is impossible may manifest. This
happens because either I reached out to another or I responded to the other as
they reached out to me.
Moving from stranger to fellow sojourners invites us into a
closer, more intimate connection. Although this contact happens in the blink of
an eye, it may stimulate a radically shift in our life. We open our self to a
world made new all because we took a chance to reach out to a stranger and
share words of joyful greeting.
Peace, Vanessa
www.healingwillow.com
Who will you invite into your circle of being?
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