The Micro-Hike

Our equipment: a plastic hoop about 8 inches in diameter; a small, cheap magnifying glass; a journal and a pen.  Our assignment: Take a short walk outdoors from the conference room into nature- lawn, bare ground, flower bed, or path.  Place yourself and your hoop on the ground for 20 minutes and observe everything within the hoop, using the magnifying glass.  Take notes to share what you see, smell, feel or hear (Fortunately, taste was not required!).  This group of teachers, students and parents were on an adventure of the Lilliputian type:  We were off on a Micro-Hike. Discovery awaited!

The recent interest in Nature-Based Learning is a new take on an old idea:  Humans have an intrinsic, irreplaceable connection to nature. Nature speaks to our souls and refreshes our minds and bodies in ways that can be measured and charted, even if not completely understood. Lowered blood pressure, reduced depression, positive well-being, spiritual connection—these are just some of the documented benefits of spending time in nature. Even as little as 10 minutes in a green environment reaps benefits for adults and children of all ages. This micro-hike proved that everyone in almost every circumstance can access nature in some way. Amazingly, just looking closely at a photograph of nature for a brief time can give some of the same rewards.

We were not to look at broad vistas or take a long hike through the countryside. We were to focus our attention on a nearby space using our senses, to bend our bodies closer towards the earth and to be still. Nature cooperated with our simple agenda by sending a mild breeze; we watched blades of grass move in response; miniature white flowers peeked through the weeds. Visitors arrived: A dung beetle carried out (literally) its work and a small yellow moth fluttered by.   A look through our magnifying glasses revealed a trail of tiny ants pushing their way through a thick mat of leaves on “our” plot of land. Chatter ceased. We observed, listened, breathed. The notebooks remained unopened. This experience was written indelibly in our memories.

Some in our group took a scientific approach, noting the details of flora and fauna, but most described the unexpected blessings of looking intently at one small slice of the world. I confess I’m not always interested in the minutia of nature; I’m more of a big picture kind of gal who often looks at life with a broad lens, not a magnifying glass. During the micro-hike, I felt a sense of quiet, a heightened awareness of nature’s complexity and an emotional settling. In that small space and for those few minutes, I took a tiny trip with a big reward. The goal was not just to gather the facts and figures of ecology.  It was to take a small journey, a pilgrimage, really, in order to connect more authentically with the natural world.    For that excursion, I needed neither a trail map nor a compass.  I didn’t have to arrange for vacation time or travel far to begin this pilgrimage.  All that I needed was right beneath my feet.

Lent is often associated with pilgrimages, physical journeys towards sacred sites with the purposes of increasing insights, discovering meaning, or seeking transformative experiences. Famous pilgrimages such as the Way of St. James, a long trek that ends at Spain’s Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela are walked by thousands who crave an intense spiritual experience. Closer to home, people walk the San Antonio Mission Trail. This type of studied and deliberate pause to examine spiritual life is often intensely personal yet paradoxically universal.  The time spent and the steps taken may lead each person to a deeper understanding of his/her faith, and at the same time stir a sense of connection to fellow Christians and beyond to all humankind.  

On any quest for a richer relationship with God, however, we need not journey far. We can be micro-hikers of the spirit. We are not expected to scale spiritual mountains, but instead we set ourselves a more approachable task: to look closely at what is within reach– our daily routines, our prayer life, our relationships, our opportunities to serve– as we hone our powers of observation and our sensitivity. Taking time to read this blog is one micro-hike, but there are many intentional journeys of limited scope towards a limitless God. Each of us will find an entry point into the Divine.  Whenever we look intently at our place within the circle of God’s love, we are on a pilgrimage towards a world much larger than an 8” circle. We might label it a micro-pilgrimage, but no pilgrimage of any kind is micro. All that is required is to start where we are, to concentrate, to look, and to listen. That’s a good start to any hike- or pilgrimage for that matter. The only steps we need take is towards the Presence.  The only magnifying glass we need is an open heart.   

To see a World in a Grain of Sand

And a Heaven in a Wildflower

Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand

And Eternity in an hour — William Blake

Today’s tile is a Zentangle, an art form that uses fine line pens and evolving, repeating designs.  I drew this with a Micron 08 black marker on a background of green watercolor wash. Nature and God are inextricably entwined, as the Psalmists recorded. We know now that even a picture of nature can take us to a Holy Place. These images depict a small slice of nature in a stylized form. Take a brief pilgrimage today into this tiny world. Still your body and quiet your mind. Discovery awaits.

The Heavens declare the glory of God

The skies proclaim the work of God’s hands

Day after day they pour forth speech

Night after night they display knowledge.  Psalm 19:1-2