A Walk with Hidden Purpose

This morning I discovered there was no coffee. I frantically opened every cupboard in the house but we were completely out. I started dialing 911 but then thought better of it. The police would understand, but they are quite busy these days.

Somehow I squeezed out enough black juice from the remnants of grains in the coffee grinder. Wow. That fuelled my caffeine deficiency for a full 5 minutes.

Time in the outdoors is like that too. If I don’t get enough I don’t operate properly. It’s like I can’t find the right gear. My mind is dull, and my spirits are missing a certain vibration. 

I’ve learned that whatever trials you are facing, the outdoors is the remedy. 

A few days ago I walked along the stream near my cabin. It was very low and thirsty looking, but nevertheless it was a little higher than it was a week ago. I knew the migratory fish would be down near the mouth waiting for rain. So I looked downstream and could see them finning near the surface in a large pool. Imagine that: The river and fish were waiting faithfully for the renewed flow of water… 

And today it is raining. In fact it’s been raining all night. 

Regardless of the doom-and-gloom in the news, the worries that overcome our thinking, and the notion that suggests everything will dry up and die; creation - or more accurately - “the creator” pulls through.

In fact a wise person once wrote “creation itself testifies there is a creator.”

I continued on my walk that day and saw a family of grouse milling around in the weeds on my way back from the river. Probably the same family my dog spooked up about a week ago. 

This was a walk without any particular goal. I didn’t have a fishing rod - because I knew the river was too low to fish. I didn’t have my shotgun - as hunting season was still a week away. So this walk had no purpose - or so it seemed.

What it did, was refresh my soul. It gave me confirmation that the salmon were coming, and a reminder that grouse season was only a week away. It also gave me hope for myself. That the future held good things. 

Let that sink in a bit. 

Oh, and by the way, Tim Hortons down the street had coffee. And it was REAL GOOD!

***