I love running trails. I love escaping into the solitude and being surrounded by trees watching as critters skitter by.
It’s something I discovered about myself in college when I stumbled onto the trail that I wasn’t even sure was a trail. It led around campus and as I followed, I knew there was something about this space that was a sanctuary.
On the trail, you have to notice and pay attention to where you are stepping. On the trail, You have to look up and notice the trail signs and markers so you can find your way back. On the trail, you can’t help but remember that we are not the center of creation. There is a centering that takes place on the trail that you can’t find in the hustle of the world.
It’s on the trail that I find my prayers come naturally: Help us to work to preserve spaces like these. Help us notice each other and all living things. Helps us remember to take care of each.
Maybe it’s the rhythm of my feet as they hit the ground. Maybe it’s that when you are surrounded by such beauty, your soul can finally breathe again. Put me on the trail and I’ll find my way home.