Echoes of the Untamed Heart

Sometimes it can feel like I am the odd one out, sharing tales of dew-kissed trails and starlit tents and hammocks hanging near the creek for nature's white noise to assist in sleeping. I can be sharing these stories with co-workers in the office, church friends at bible study, friends over coffee, or that neighbor who's always out walking the dog. They listen intently, smile, laugh at the mishaps where I fall in the creek. But it almost always ends in "Sounds fun, but... nah, not for me. Too many bugs, too far from WiFi, I need a daily shower..."

And I get it. Life is a grind, we have created times with deadlines, carpools, endless to-do lists. Who has time for "roughing it"? Or why would one remove the comforts of life and intentionally make things inconvenient?

I believe in this quiet philosophy I have been mulling over in my mind. Deep down, we are all wired for wildness. Not the extreme kind, but the simple innate desire for what is untamed. Just think about it...we pause for a sunset bleeding pink across the sky, or a cloud formation that looks like a dragon mid-roar with smoke emitting from it's nostrils. We are captivated with awe over a deer's silhouette at dusk, or snap pics of that rogue wildflower pushing through sidewalk cracks. Even the skeptics among us feel it pull, including those that have never left a six square block area in NYC.

I genuinely believe that most of us feel it deeply. Parents, consider this...watch your children's eyes light up at the zoo, or when they excitedly drag you to point at squirrels in the park. "Look, Mommy!!! A rabbit!" "Daddy! Did you see the turtle?!?!" They are not just cute or interesting; they are primal. That yearning to witness the world's quiet wonders, to relax to the point of allowing your soul to breathe beyond the screens and schedules. I believe we are all wild at heart and have only been tamed by societal "norms" we have created that have led to the erosion of our wildness. 

I beg of you all to take a break from the doom scrolling on X; it can be quicksand for the soul. Break out and escape from circumstances leading you to be stuck in traffic. Instead of allowing this to grind you down, why not escape! Not forever, it does not even have to be days. Just long enough to reclaim a sliver of sanity and spark your primal desires. Hours is a good start. 

And I get it...maybe my hiking adventures are "not for you." Perhaps they are a whisper to that buried spark. Answer this, what is one tiny wild thing you would chase if fear and excuses were removes? A simple backyard stargaze? A family birdwatch? The world is waiting. Who's in?

I am not even asking you to give up the comforts you so enjoy. Rent a cabin in the woods with all your comforts, including family and friends. Heck! Get one with a hot tub and pool table! Just get away from it all, your family and friends will thank you.