
This was supposed to be a one-hike thing. We fully planned for it to be finished last week. But like other important things in life, this one wouldn’t let go.
For some backstory, Pam loves keeping track of things. She has a book where she journals about every book she has read. She has a yearly calendar she uses to document her walks, her hikes, bike rides, yoga and whatever else she is doing. She’s done it for years. She says she’ll do anything for a sticker! She also creates books for each grandchild, documenting their first years of life. She may be a historian, or a journalist, or perhaps she just knows that by taking note of these life-moments, she is forced to slow down and feel the gratitude she has for them.
It was our knowledge of this habit of Pam’s that inspired the idea of the jar containing the rocks with the names of our hikes on them. It seemed perfect, and especially perfect for Pam.
This week, the week after celebrating Pam, part of our hike took us along a creek bed. In 2013, we had a devastating flood in this part of Alberta. Rivers and creeks flowed over their banks, trees were uprooted and carried along by floodwaters, and rocks and stones tumbled along in the water until finally the water ebbed, leaving wider river valleys than normal, bordered on each side by rocky shores. The landscape was changed forever. The riverbed we walked on was one of those carved out by that flood. As we walked, we each, not saying anything to the others, had our heads down, searching. Searching for the perfect rock to mark this hike.
Something about Pam’s jar of stones, struck a chord in each of us. We all love these days together. We feel grateful to have them, we do not take them for granted, and it seemed we all now felt the need to have some physical marker of the places we travel together. We are each now creating our own jar of hiking stones. On this latest hike, Lynne found one that was heart shaped. Mine was more like a flower, reminding me of the little wildflowers we saw along our route.
This new little tradition is powerful. Amazing really. A little river stone all on its own doesn’t have much value. There are literally millions of them along the waterways in our province. We’ve trampled over many of them. Little, gray, non-descript stones. Except now they aren’t non-descript, nor are they plain old rocks. They have become symbols of this part of our lives.
I’ve kept a photo book for each year of hiking, so this week I was able to use these books to write the names of the hikes I’ve completed on stones I’ve bought. From now on, each week, I’ll pick up one stone along the way, and when I get home, I’ll write the name of the hike, perhaps draw a little picture of something that caught my eye along the way, and add it to the jar.
I have no idea what size of jar I’ll need. My hiking stones already number quite a few. They will take up a lot of room. I don’t want a jar that will be filled to the brim right now. I want space at the top to add more. I hope to need a lot of space but one never knows.
Right now, what I do know is that this little awakening I’ve had, makes me want to not miss any chances to gather a stone on one of our Tuesday hikes. Really, it’s not the stone I need. Or maybe it is. The stone is my physical reminder of my memory of the hike. The stone causes me to pause, to notice as I add it to the jar, how rich my life is because of these women I hike with and because of the beauty we witness along the way. It also causes me to pause during the very hike, to think about how lucky I am. I can’t just act as if it’s part of the routine, just something I do. It causes me to be deeply grateful for my ability to continue doing this activity, and to not take for granted that my body will allow this forever. I have no idea when I’ll place that last stone in my jar, or even when I place the ‘last one for a while’. This visual representation of life, this metaphor, increases the gratitude I already possessed in a large quantity.
I’m going to bring this idea into other areas of my life. I don’t know exactly how, and we certainly don’t need jars and jars of stones decorating each room of our home, but there are so many things I want to take note of, to feel gratitude for, and to appreciate.
On Friday, Andy was here for a Gramma Day. He knows nothing of my jar of stones yet, although once I purchase the jar, I’ll surely show him and explain it to he and Ben. He was playing in our backyard and came into the kitchen see me. He had a little rock in his hand. ‘Gramma, I found this for you. You can keep it forever.’
On any other day I might have taken the rock, thanked him, admired it aloud, put it on the counter, and then later in the evening tossed it outside again. But not this day. On this day I asked where he thought I should keep it. He suggested I could have a treasure chest to keep all the ‘beautiful things I find for you’.
Good idea, Andy. I’ll do just that.
My inquiry for you this week is, ‘What am I collecting?’
Postscript: I usually take the summer months of July and August away from this blog. This year I am starting early. The next few weekends I have dates with two lovely little grandjoys. We’ll be collecting rocks and bugs, and making memories and I suspect I won’t have much time for writing. It’s possible this is my ‘last post for a while’. Stay tuned. I will be back. My blog jar isn’t quite full.
Elizabeth is a certified professional Leadership Coach, and the owner of Critchley Coaching. She is the founder and president of the Canadian charity, RDL Building Hope Society. She works with corporations, non-profits and the public sector, providing leadership coaching. She creates and facilitates custom workshops for all sizes of groups and has expertise in facilitating Strategic Plans for organizations. Contact Elizabeth to learn how to choose what to collect.