Categories: uncategorized
Date: 30 May 2009 16:29:45
Today I have been walking. By this I don't mean a bit of a wander I mean proper 10mile + walking with peeps who take it seriously. Went off to Weardale, (the North Pennines), with the Walking Group from the church I inhabit on Sunday evenings. Have to say it was wonderful. The sky was pure blue with only a couple of dabs of white cloud off into the distance all day, but there was a light, gentle breeze. We started off in Westgate and then on to Eastgate before heading on to Rookhope to eat our sandwiches. Wiki gives a flavour of the village, which was beautiful. Then it was on and past an old quarry before ending up at Westgate again. The view was spectacular; looking over a patchwork quilt of fields with odd stone buildings, hedges, trees and stone walls punctuating the landscape otherwise only inhabited, it seemed, by rabbits and sheep. If you ever get the chance to go walking here all I can say is take it, it's wonderful.
As I was walking with the group today something struck me. I was here, walking, with a bunch of strangers who took their walking seriously. As such the wuss factor couldn't kick in. This was a no nonsense walk where I just had to get on with it even when I was faced with some obstacles which in normal circumstances would have seen me shreiking and saying "I can't do that!" and requesting assistance. Today, I calmly and quietly headed down steep rocky inclines, negotiated my way across some boggy ground and remained calm when my boot and jeans got an ickle muddy, and walked through multiple fields containing some scary looking sheep. What is more I actually enjoyed doing these things. It made me wonder how much of my wussy behaviour is what I do because I can. Today I was in a situation where I was thought to be a proper grown up and so I played the role perfectly.
It left me wondering how much like that are we in church sometimes. How often do we use the time and emotional resources of people because we can? How often if left to it or in a different situation would we find we are actually quite capable and life isn't that scary if we just get on with it? How often would we actually manage to succeed to engage in new challenges and enjoy ourselves in the process if we weren't in the position to panic?
I don't know but as I made my way around Weardale I wondered.