In Their Element

I’ve always loved the outdoors, the interaction with the environment, moving through physical space and time.  The change of seasons, the unpredictability of nature, the subtle differences in the landscape from one day to the next.  And, of course, the living, breathing, growing things that live in the wild.

I recently had the fortune to spend a week at Shenandoah River State Park.  Of course, it was breathtakingly beautiful, from the languid flow of the river to the violent thunderstorms to the sweeping views from the mountain overlooks.

And the gorgeous flowers...

The graceful, multicolored creatures...

It wasn’t until the last day that I figured out what had made the week so special beyond the magnificent setting.  I was there to chaperone my teenagers’ cross country team for a week of camp.   Two runs a day, hikes, swimming, cooking for 40 ravenous kids with no cell coverage, internet or TV.  More than one friend looked at me in complete perplexity when I enthused repeatedly about the trip in the days running up to our departure from the real world.  On that last morning I understood that I had experienced my beloved sons in their element, in their essential natures, interacting with their friends and challenging themselves.

It was such a privilege.