Mountain Time
Over the past week I have been enjoying “Mountain Time” while camping with my husband and our pup Sadie, amidst the beauty of spring in the Blue Ridge Mountains.
I have always believed that “to think out of the box, one needs to first get out of the box”. The “box” here is the daily grind of a familiar environment and familiar rhythms. So often in academia, when a semester starts it is like a train leaving the station, you have no other choice but to run as fast as you can to catch the train and to keep up with the responsibilities. It often becomes exhausting. That is why I took this first opportunity at the end of the spring semester to take a vacation. Taking the time to experience a different rhythm has been very restorative and nourishing to my soul.
Vacation is all about allowing my body to cycle down, allowing myself to feel tired without having to justify the tiredness. It is not uncommon for my mind to make up a list of reasons to explain why I feel tired before I allow myself to rest. During my normal work routine there is always one more paper to read, one more email to answer, one more essay to write. But on vacation, I am able to turn everything off. Instead of a hectic schedule and hour upon hour of working, I sleep more, eat more, move more, and daydream more. Gradually I feel more and more in touch with my natural circadian rhythm. It is truly easy to live in a restful, restorative, spiritual state of being when I am “out of the box”.
I sometimes wonder if retired life may be somewhat like a permanent vacation. If so I can hardly wait to get to retirement. Then I wonder, if vacation would feel as good if every day were like a vacation. Is this lifestyle so charming in and of itself, or is it charming because it is set against an opposite rhythm, squeezed between hard work before and after?
This past week have been “participating in emergence” at its finest. We started out following our plans, then we let breadcrumbs along the way to guide us further. The best trips resulted from spontaneous hints we picked up along the way. We have met and talked with amazing local people and fellow travelers, enjoyed live music with random strangers, visited with friends and colleagues, spent star and moon lit nights among the pines around the campfire, and indulged in the finest local cuisines.
Best of all, we have marveled at the beautiful scenery: Linville Falls, Linville Cavern, Grandfather Mountain, Blowing Rock, Elk Falls, and the endless beauty of the Blue Ridge Parkway. Nature is one of the best teachers in complexity. The places we visited are all called by catchy unique names. This separation is important to guide visitors and to support their individual distinctive revenue systems. But they are all part of the same Blue Ridge ecosystem connected by the flowing rivers and underground water systems, the animals, the climate and the diversity of people who live here and visit these magnificent mountain ranges. Before I was physically here, planning and preparing for the adventure, I was studying them separately, visiting their separate websites. After spending the week here, I have realized they are fully integrated as a whole complete ecosystem, and am thankful to have been able to be a small part of it.
I have also come to realize the “in the box/Yang” and “out of the box/Yin” are two integrated parts of my personal ecosystem. When the Yang is too far in the lead, it is good idea to supplement it with the Yin, to maintain the balance and ensure the whole system stays strong.
During this vacation, the Yin is about observing the cool wind, warm sunshine, the nourishing rain, bright blue skies and dark and starry nights; spring bursting forth with the contrast of the green grass spotted with hundreds of yellow buttercups; or the trees glowing fresh green leaves speckled with blooming rhododendrons, azaleas and magnolias. Perhaps if you are observant enough, you will be blessed to discover a sparrow diligently building its nest next to your camper, or a lone bright blue egg laying softly in a robin’s nest … you will come to understand this extraordinary example of the Amazing Dao of Life!
When is your next vacation? Where are you going this spring?
P. S.
The morning of our departure, two days after we initially discovered the Robin’s nest, I went to say goodbye on my early morning walk with my pup Sadie. The mother robin fluttered away as I approached. To my delight, there was two beautiful pale blue eggs laying in the nest. Regrettably I did not have my phone on me. I ran back and told my husband about the big news. We decided to both say goodbye before we left. Two hours later, we stopped by on our way out of the campground. “I wonder if there would be more eggs” I whispered to my husband. Guess what, there you are — three eggs laying in the nest! That was the most delightful moment of the entire trip. Well, we know who has been busy that morning!
