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gunwithoutmusic) wrote2021-03-27 04:36 pm
gunwithoutmusic) wrote2021-03-27 04:36 pm
"Blueberry Trail"
It’s the first time we’ve all three been together at Marie’s house before a hike in a long time. Since she’s been working more weekends, it’s been harder to find time to all get together and get out on the trails, and my husband and I have been doing some work around the house, so there’s not really a lot of time to be found for recreation, anyway. But Marie has this weekend off, so we finally decided to go on the trail that we tried to go on last time, a few months ago, but didn’t because of an unexpected rainstorm.
It feels really good to gather together pre-hike, and to climb into Marie’s car before heading off to Chick-Fil-A for breakfast, and then to the trail. It feels even better to actually get on the trail, a sandy and relatively open set of three connecting loops through a wilderness preserve known for birding (and especially for scrub jays, small blue and grey birds that like to hang out in the thick bushes).
As we navigate the winding and hilly trail, feeling the burn in our leg muscles as they protest the unexpected workout, we’re mostly quiet, focusing on our breathing and keeping our balance in the sand. Though we don’t see any birds, we can certainly hear them, as the air surrounding us is filled with the songs of different birds, some sounding like they might be courting and some sounding like they might be fighting. The songs interweave and dance around each other in a way that might lead me to believe that this is a well-rehearsed piece, and we are the tiny audience of a live performance.
Halfway through the trail, as we reach the crest of yet another steep hill and stop to catch our breath, Tyler speaks.
“Marie, what do you think Heaven is?”
“I don’t know,” Marie replies, after thinking for a moment. “I used to think that I knew, but you hear so many things from so many different people that it’s hard to really come up with my own idea of what Heaven is.”
“Yeah,” says Tyler, and Marie continues.
“I mean, I feel that I know that you get to see all of your loved ones there that have gone before you. Like, they say everyone you’ve ever loved that’s already gone will be waiting at the gate of Heaven for you. But other than that, I don’t really know.”
“I was thinking more like, will everything be so easy that it’s boring? Or will there still be challenges and things to overcome, but you’ll still just be happy all the time?”
“Well, I think it will probably be like that,” Marie says. “You’ll just be able to do the stuff you love to do all the time, and there won’t be any stress and you’ll always be around everyone that you love and want to be around.”
I think to myself that it sounds a lot like where we are right now. If I could go out and do this every single day, surrounded by my friends and my family and everyone who’s ever made a deep connection with me in my life, that’s my idea of Heaven. And maybe there’s something to be said about the whole “Heaven is on Earth” thing. Isn’t it possible that we can experience something like that, right here and right now, if we actively strive for it? I feel like it is, since I feel like I’m experiencing my own little piece of Heaven right now, with my two best friends and the sun shining down on us, clear skies and the bird song soundtrack. Even my body feels good, though it’s tired and sore. Everything just feels right.
As we quietly continue down the path, our feet sink into the soft sand, leaving three sets of tracks behind us, and our minds contemplate the short conversation we held in the shade of the trees at the top of the hill. Suddenly, flashes of blue and grey cross the path directly in front of us as a few scrub jays emerge from one set of bushes and dive into another. I feel my heart skip a beat and I smile at my luck at getting to finally see them.
It feels really good to gather together pre-hike, and to climb into Marie’s car before heading off to Chick-Fil-A for breakfast, and then to the trail. It feels even better to actually get on the trail, a sandy and relatively open set of three connecting loops through a wilderness preserve known for birding (and especially for scrub jays, small blue and grey birds that like to hang out in the thick bushes).
As we navigate the winding and hilly trail, feeling the burn in our leg muscles as they protest the unexpected workout, we’re mostly quiet, focusing on our breathing and keeping our balance in the sand. Though we don’t see any birds, we can certainly hear them, as the air surrounding us is filled with the songs of different birds, some sounding like they might be courting and some sounding like they might be fighting. The songs interweave and dance around each other in a way that might lead me to believe that this is a well-rehearsed piece, and we are the tiny audience of a live performance.
Halfway through the trail, as we reach the crest of yet another steep hill and stop to catch our breath, Tyler speaks.
“Marie, what do you think Heaven is?”
“I don’t know,” Marie replies, after thinking for a moment. “I used to think that I knew, but you hear so many things from so many different people that it’s hard to really come up with my own idea of what Heaven is.”
“Yeah,” says Tyler, and Marie continues.
“I mean, I feel that I know that you get to see all of your loved ones there that have gone before you. Like, they say everyone you’ve ever loved that’s already gone will be waiting at the gate of Heaven for you. But other than that, I don’t really know.”
“I was thinking more like, will everything be so easy that it’s boring? Or will there still be challenges and things to overcome, but you’ll still just be happy all the time?”
“Well, I think it will probably be like that,” Marie says. “You’ll just be able to do the stuff you love to do all the time, and there won’t be any stress and you’ll always be around everyone that you love and want to be around.”
I think to myself that it sounds a lot like where we are right now. If I could go out and do this every single day, surrounded by my friends and my family and everyone who’s ever made a deep connection with me in my life, that’s my idea of Heaven. And maybe there’s something to be said about the whole “Heaven is on Earth” thing. Isn’t it possible that we can experience something like that, right here and right now, if we actively strive for it? I feel like it is, since I feel like I’m experiencing my own little piece of Heaven right now, with my two best friends and the sun shining down on us, clear skies and the bird song soundtrack. Even my body feels good, though it’s tired and sore. Everything just feels right.
As we quietly continue down the path, our feet sink into the soft sand, leaving three sets of tracks behind us, and our minds contemplate the short conversation we held in the shade of the trees at the top of the hill. Suddenly, flashes of blue and grey cross the path directly in front of us as a few scrub jays emerge from one set of bushes and dive into another. I feel my heart skip a beat and I smile at my luck at getting to finally see them.
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Thank you for taking me back on a hike. I feel like I've actually accomplished something now. :-) Always wonderful to go on a hike with you, S.
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