Sundial Writers Corner

Recording in WLRH studio

My second piece submitted to Huntsville’s WLRH Sundial Writers Corner was broadcast on December 5th. You can listen to a recording on their website—>HERE. This piece was inspired by my Benton MacKaye Trail hike. You can find my first Sundial Writers Corner piece, Turkey Tracks, inspired by my Pinhoti Trail thru-hike—>HERE.

gratitude on trail

With less than a mile to go before reaching the terminus of yet another long trail, I begin to thank every body part for getting me here. Thank you feet for stabilizing me. Thank you knees for supporting me. Thank you shoulders for bearing the weight of my heavy pack. Thank you lungs for expanding with every labored breath, and on and on, you get the point.

My intentional practice of gratitude at journey’s end has become a ceremony, a ritual, a tradition. I emphasize intentional because it can be easy to take this body for granted and I have to practice not letting it become so.

I don’t just thank my body for being strong. I can simultaneously acknowledge the strength of my body for walking hundreds of miles and at the same time recognize that my body holds value beyond strength, beyond this temporary privileged ability. Because my body holds me. My body is thoughtful. My body is funny. My body is smart. My body is stunning. My body is here. My body is now.

This forced perspective offers a new lens in which to view my surroundings. The fallen leaves crunching underfoot paired with the swift water in the nearby creek hit a crescendo whereby I alone am audience. My gratitude for life swells with new eyes.

Gratitude overflows beyond my physical body to the environment around me, to the people in my life, to the experiences that have all led me to be right here at this very moment.

I thank the trail. Thank you for always being there. Thank you for feeling like home. Thank you for bringing people together. I’m grateful to have been part of your history, as well as your future. I’m grateful for the opportunity to witness the changes over time, to see the berries ripen, and the turks cap lily bloom.

In my practice I fondly recall memories of experiencing community on trail: sharing meals, making new friends and learning their fears and favorite foods, conversing with genuine curiosity, singing together, and becoming like family. The trail is magic.

I feel an overwhelming gratitude towards my parents and their support. Unconditional, that’s what that feels like.

And lastly there is gratitude for the flow. It’s a philosophy. I always say, you have to stay open for opportunities to arise. There’s a vulnerability to sacrifice stability for the unknown. The flow got me here, crossing Big Creek, finishing this trail that I had started the year before and 287 miles further south. Thank you.

I made a YouTube video of me reading this piece paired with photos from the Benton MacKaye Trail. Enjoy!