I am grateful to be home in the US, despite the tragic news portrayed on media this morning. I intended to post a blog prepared before my vacation but reflecting on the trip with gratitude seems a way to feed my soul today.
I am grateful for our opportunity to walk/hike the Cotswold Way in England. Importantly, we were healthy and happy during our 10 days together with few glitches.
I am grateful for being physically and mentally able to walk the entire 102+ miles. We added additional miles because we were lost once or twice but that was all part of our experience.
I am profoundly grateful for my seven travelling companions. We encouraged and supported one another unconditionally. We are better friends now than when we started.
I relished the humor and laughter we shared during the sojourn.
The landscapes of our journey enthralled me. The undulating green hills, pastures and crop fields, and thick woods were a delightful contrast to the majestic purple mountains that I experience each day in Colorado.
I am grateful for the four-legged animals we spotted. Cute and well-behaved dogs were on the trail, but almost no kitties. I LOVED the sheep. The lambs were about 4-8 weeks old and often frisky. Walking through pastures and seeing them did not disappoint. We also encountered pheasants, squirrels, rabbits, and one deer.
The magnitude of the wooded areas we treaded were a pleasant surprise. Experiencing beech and horse chestnut trees as a canopy that were hundreds of years old was an unexpected delight. Every day the birds sang almost nonstop, especially in the mornings.
I am grateful for all the voluntary wardens who keep the trails cleared and accessible. They also maintained the stone walls that were in various states of repair. Trail benches were dedicated to local citizens and wardens who had loved and enjoyed the Cotswolds for decades.
I loved meeting the people who provided hosting in the B & B’s where we stayed as well as locals who offered insight and directions. We felt welcomed and encouraged.
I was always grateful for a cold beer/ale at the end of our day and the conviviality of recollecting the best parts of the daily walk.
I am pleased that I, as well as all my travelling companions, tested negative for COVID so we could return home.
I am grateful that I had the financial means, physical ability, and social connections to make this trip. I feel privileged to have experienced this pilgrimage.
I am glad to be home. I look forward to reliving the memories and to planning future journeys to explore this diverse world.
It was a Great trip! You captured the essentials quite – and I’m still amazed by the different views there about “private property” access that allows all of us trekkers to walk these public trails while crossing private crop fields, livestock pastures, backyards, driveways, and other spaces where people agreed to our presence.
Karla, each day I focused on being “there” where I was – physically and mentally. I have this quote that says “Being present lets us experience each moment in our lives in a way that cannot be fully lived through memory or fantasy.” I feel I accomplished that most of the time while walking through the Cotswolds.
I say “ditto, ditto, ditto” to each of your mentions about being grateful especially as we return from our idyllic surroundings to the tough and senseless of the school shooting in Texas. I look forward to seeing you and Deb next week even though the reason for the gathering will be to celebrate the life of a dear friend and colleague.
Karla,
Gratitude indeed. As I get older, I appreciate the privilege I inherited. I am about ready to start what may be my final book. I want to write something to and for Andy and Adam, something that begins with privilege and then moves on to opportunity and obligation. I plan to call it “Fellow Mortals,” a term John Muir used when he referred to the better angels of our nature. It will be a rejection of the hubris that so often accompanies us as a species. We’ll see what I can make of it.
Thanks for your introspective blogs and for your company on our “pilgrimage” to the Cotswolds. You are as a treasure to me.
Dan