Hi Friend
I don’t have long to write today. I’m sitting at a primitive campsite with no power. So as long as I have battery life I can write. When it runs out, I’m done. Fortunately, this 2013 MacBook Pro still seems to have a lot of gas in her. We’ll see how many words we can get. I’m sure I’ll put a few pics of where I’m at. It’s beautiful. The sun is rising. The water is gently lapping against the shore. I’ve got the fire going again.
It’s really the perfect morning. I have no obligations today. I can sit or ride or walk or hammock or throw stones in the lake for an hour or for 10 hours. Most of my Saturdays don’t feel this way. It’s wonderful when the weather and my schedule aligns so nicely. Nature certainly has a way of swelling gratitude in our souls. Or maybe the pace is so dang slow that’s what does it?
I have a philosophy about campfires. Once you start one, you never relight it. I will wake up in the middle of the night to keep one going. Or like this morning I’ll regather twigs and blow on the hot coals to ignite a flame. Even if it looks like there is nothing in the ashes to spark, some glowing chunk is nestled beneath the char awaiting a breeze and something to engulf.
Connecting nature to my calling is an easy path for me. Because of my faith and belief system I see numerous parallels between the order of the wild and our homo sapien journey. I suspect that’s why many have a spiritual experience when they find themselves deep in the woods or gazing over a canyon, grand or otherwise.
Nature + Human = Purpose for our Human Nature
One of the reasons I find myself in this amazing setting this morning is because I had some decisions to make. They feel weighty and consequential. I’ve sought advice from a few trusted allies. There is no wrong or right; it’s simply different results. Both positive. You know the phrase about choosing the lesser of two evils? This is the opposite. They are entirely different outcomes leading to two different paths.
Last night, gazing into the flames, I settled on one. If I seem a bit zen this morning it’s not just from sitting in the smoke too long. Making a big decision, for me, can be a grueling process. Once determined however, equal to the difficulty is the peace that arrives and surrounds, once decided. Experiencing that while camping is doubly fulfilling.
What is your process for decision making?
Both of my kids are in a season where their decisions seem to be LIFE ALTERING to them. My daughter choosing a college and my son a summer internship. The choice will definitely impact future options. Isn’t that what a decision is though? Choosing a course that will offer more choices. Of course, the great fear is, once selected what if the possibilities provided by the other path could have been more enjoyable?!
Lots of people live life wondering what-if. Hopefully you’re not plagued by those futile imaginings.
I wonder if like my kids, you measure your choices based on the perceived consequence? I’ve suggested that idea earlier, that I had a “BIG” decision to make. However, the reality of realities is that small decisions have a much bigger impact than big ones. It feels like choosing what university to go to will determine a lot about my daughter’s future. It will… some. But who she is daily, how she treats people daily, where her mind goes daily, how she walks out her faith daily, what she does with her money daily, what she learns daily will have a MUCH BIGGER IMPACT on her life, then WHERE she does it.
Big Decisions are Small, Small Decisions are Big!
We tend to miss this until the compounded consequences emerge. It’s the layering of what seems like small choices that results in a hefty unalterable outcome.
Instigating Ideas
1. What undecided choice do you need to just make a decision about?
2. What small choices are you letting slide that will create a tsunami of consequences?
3. Take a day and night to be in nature!
The entire time I’ve been writing, I have randomly been going over to the fire to adjust the sticks and logs. I’m using a poker – the most critical branch to find when arriving at a campsite. It allows me to get in the midst of the fire and fuel to make adjustments. It’s essential for keeping the fire burning. What tools do you utilize to keep ablaze the critical fires in your life? Relationally, spiritually, educationally, vision, dreams – all the necessary elements for a meaningful life. If we don’t keep poking and adjusting, the flame just might die out.
Fortunately, there’s always a chunk below the ash waiting for you to breathe life on it.
I dare you to invert your concern about decisions you are making. The weight and gravitas you’ve assigned to a “big” decision, shift that to a small decision. I would love to hear how that adjustment impacts your daily actions in a real way. Please Share.