Hello and welcome to Five Minutes in Nature with me Liz Scott.
Well I am back after my 10-day hike around the South Hams and today I am taking it slow.
What I've realized is that my body is fit but physically I am tired and I've really noticed that today in listening to my body and taking myself out for a very gentle walk which is where you find me now.
And when I was out a bit earlier I saw a couple of lambs here on Dartmoor,
That's where I am at the moment,
And the lambs are extremely sweet.
These are little black-faced lambs and there were two of them and they were playing.
There was a Dartmoor pony grazing nearby and I paused to watch them as they raced towards this Dartmoor pony,
Obviously playing a bit of a game of dare,
And then they stopped just before they got to the pony and they looked at it and they cautiously went a little bit further nearer to it and the pony became curious and she lifted her head from grazing and the two lambs scampered away and then cautiously came back again and came a grazing.
And I was just transfixed and laughing at these little lambs and their antics and their curiosity at the world around them.
It's so refreshing to see.
And today I'm really reflecting and being present to what I would call the residue of the walk.
One of the things I notice when I walk,
Particularly over several days on a long-distance trail,
One of the things I realize is that my mind settles.
It's slightly different with walking companions and that's what I found as well.
I don't maybe settle quite as deeply as when I walk on my own but my mind settles and what I find is as my mind settles I notice things.
I notice the moss on the walls for example or the garlic,
The wild garlic,
The white flowers and the dark glossy leaves of the wild garlic as it comes up in the woodland paths.
I've been seeing bluebells emerging on the walk.
On my final day as I was walking beside the River Dart there was a moment that we paused on a bench and I just remember looking at the river.
It was tidal at this point and the creek we were sat beside had mudflats exposed but there was some kind of sacredness about the spot and I could feel it,
Like breathe it in.
It felt like it was a sacred moment and I find that when I walk as my mind settles I feel I've got spaciousness and openness to the sacred that is all around and the feeling of gratitude and thankfulness and my sense of privilege in the world really rises within me.
I realize and I am grateful that for me taking 10 days out of my life to go walking is something I'm able to do with friends and my sister is something I'm able to do.
Knowing that my husband is supporting me on my journey I'm so grateful and full of love and joy that this is something I am able to do and what I also find is that I am able to really sink into that space between thoughts,
That space of oneness,
Of connection with all things.
When I walk that's often what I feel and get present to and I want to reflect on this walk.
For me it wasn't about fitness,
It wasn't about getting anywhere quickly,
It was about allowing myself to feel and be present to the joy,
Contentment and happiness in my life and I want to remain in this feeling of reflection as long as I can.
Be present to it,
I'm not looking for the next thing,
I don't need to think about what is my next walk,
What is my next adventure.
I've still got so much to soak in and reflect on with the walk that I've just done.
So today is a little reflection on that which is maybe the habitual way I and maybe you too are looking to do the next thing.
What's the next thing in my life?
And today is just a request that you take a moment to breathe and reflect on the experience that you've had.
Just to give yourself time for reflection and I'm talking about experiences that have a positive,
Wholesome,
Nourishing feel to them.
Reflect and be present to them long after they have gone because that is also part of the experience.
Let me know your reflections and thoughts and of course don't forget to join me again tomorrow for another five minutes in nature.
