What is Wandering?

This entry was published in the February 17th edition of the Kings County Record.  I've now been writing for the record going on 8 years and every now and then it is good to remind my readers, and my self why I write.  This was the point of this entry.  As you read, let your mind wander, and when you get a chance wander with your body somewhere too.  Don't get completely lost though.

Capstick is a small fishing village in Cape Breton.  An easy place to wander.

 

Wandering?  What is wandering?  I was asked this question the other day and it got me thinking about what "wandering" is to me.  Ironically it took me some time to figure it out.  It led me to think that maybe I need to fill readers in on why I write this column.  You might consider this edition a bit of a reminder as to why I wander.  Many people would likely, for good reason, assume that for me wandering means me being lost in the woods.  Sometimes it is simply that.  More often though it is more than that. 

A walk across a snow covered field is not simply a way to get cold feet.  When you let your mind go free it can become a great deal more.  When you can look and use your imagination you can almost see every snow flake.  You can hear them gently land on the curling drift.  When I write, I try to take the reader to a place, not an actual physical place, but rather a place in their mind.  I want the reader to let their mind wander to a wooded path along a fast running, boulder strewn, fish bearing stream that rumbles loudly as it pours over a large, mossy, emerald green boulder.

Wandering, for me, is a manner, in today's terms, to reboot my mind, body, and soul.  It is a way to see things again for the first time. Google defines it as "traveling aimlessly from place to place."  I like most of this definition but I can travel aimlessly in one place too.  When I sit at the atop an old tree stump on the top of a ridge looking over a clear cut to small settlement below I can wander through time.  Back to when homes were more often heated by a wood stove and we travelled using a horse and buggy.  Or I can wander to the time when the clear cut in front of me was a mature stand of softwoods full of deer and squirrels.  So I don't need to travel from place to place to wander, in essence, I can wander in my own back yard.

One of the reasons why I started writing this column was to encourage people to get out and "wander" in their own backyards.  I don't simply mean in your half acre building lot but if that is where you feel comfortable then it is as good a place as any to start.  I have to be honest, that is how I started.  When I was a boy, 3 or 4 years old, I would wander around my parent's backyard, by the time I was 5 or 6 I was in the neighbor's yard and exploring the brook at the edge of our lot.  The progression and growth is great to see in yourself and just because you might be older now, it doesn't mean you can't wander and grow in new places.  Sometimes you might find a new place right outside the backdoor.  Suddenly you may have a bird's nest in a nearby tree or maybe a squirrel has found access under your back deck and you take note and let your mind and soul wander or even ponder these new places. 

Where ever you might wander I hope it brings you adventure and happiness.  I hope that you grow spiritually stronger as much as physically stronger.  As deep as the snow is this winter I hope that you can still find a way to appreciate all that nature has to give us.

Wandering through a Workshop

Lately I have been helping out at the Sussex Corner Elementary School's breakfast program.  This is a great program that provides kids whose parents can't currently provide them with breakfast.  I feel blessed to help out with this program.  While there, I was approached by a staff person from the District and she asked if I'd be interested in providing a writing workshop to two middle school groups.  I jumped at the chance to expand my skill set and writing portfolio.

Last summer I provided a workshop to a small group of adults and felt pretty good about what I had presented.  I edited this past material to suit the younger crowd and to meet the time requirements I had.  The night before the workshops I got really nervous and began to question my own ability.  When I awoke in the morning I had a good breakfast and once I stepped into the Sussex Middle School library I was ready or I was hoping I was ready.

The day went off without a hitch and I was able to take 15 boys from Sussex Middle School out around the trail and along Trout Creek.  This followed the brief 1/2hour presentation I gave and in which I was surprised at how well behaved the boys were.  They enjoyed the opportunity to get outside and listened intently as I gave them my perspective on how I observe and write about nature.  I encouraged them to use all five of their senses and take in the smells, the sounds, the colors, textures, and tastes and to mentally note how they feel.

When we returned to the classroom we gave the boys some time to write a piece that I would review.  It was amazing to me to watch the majority of these boys sit and focus on writing.  It was more amazing to read some of what they wrote.  One young man wrote from the perspective of the black capped chickadee that we observed and he was incredibly detailed in the descriptions he provided from that view point.  When I did the same exercise for the kids in Belleisle, I was again impressed with the material the boys created.  I dare say that one student there was more intellectual than I was and wrote poetically about our short trip up a hill and through a spruce stand.  Another boy wrote a spine tingling piece about a "stalking crow" that had me feeling a mix of emotions that was both awe of the setting and fear of what was to come.

It was rewarding for me to put on these workshops.  It was encouraging to see the material these young men wrote and while I don't think I had a big role in that, I am hopeful that through my influence they will continue to write and embrace that skill.

Flattering Thougtfulness

This is kind of cool.  The Sussex Literary Initiatives and Cultural Events group has asked me to mentor part of a writing workshop to be held in Sussex.  The date is June 2nd but I will fill you in on details as they become available.

This is very flattering, as I am certain there are many people involved that could easily host such a mentoring session for youth.  It is nice to learn that my writing is being recognized in writing circles.  When you continue to write and simply do it for the enjoyment of writing, I think, good things simply happen.  I look forward to this event and likely learning more than I might teach.

Like Father Like Son

I've had an interest in writing for a long time.  I can remember being in Sussex Corner Elementary School and writing a "Hardy Boys" type story in my writing journal.  I loved writing but as a kid I suppressed this desire to be cool as I felt young boys were to play hockey and explore outside.  I don't regret these decisions I made as a young boy but I sometimes wonder how my life would be different if I had focused on my writing instead of athletics. 

Recently I have recognized a similar battle taking shape within my six year old son.  He has taken a strong interest in reading and writing while trying to get him to hockey in the morning is a bit of a challenge.  It was made even more apparent recently when he had one of his stories published in the Sussex Corner Elementary School Newsletter for March 2012.  I'm a proud father so I'm going to share it here.  To be accurate I'm not going to correct the spelling mistakes as I think it shows his true mind.  Keep in mind he is six years old so many of the words are well beyond his expected reading level.

Here is what he wrote:

"Have you ever gon skating?  One day I went skating.  It was on Sunday at my aunt Beckees after cherch.  My aunt Beckee put on my skates.  When I got on the ice I slipt and fel.  I hit my head.  I thot I should of had my helmet on.  I didn't beecos my Dat thot I didn't need it.  So I sat down.  My aunt Beckee found a helmet so I put it on.  I went to play hockey with my kosen Kiele and somebody els.  Then I saw a side by side.  I stuck my stike in the snow and climbed on.  We foload coyote tracs.  Everee tiem he foload the coyote tracs into the woods he saw a rabit.  Beefor I went home I had another ride.  I had alot of fun."

So now that he is writing and communicating like an adult I have to be more cautious as he can rat me out when I make a mistake, such as not putting a helmet on him.  In my defense I opted to put a thick hat on him to keep his head and cheeks warm.  Thankfully he wasn't hurt to badly and he still enjoyed the day well enough that he wrote about it.  I will be making an effort to encourage his creative side while hopefully balancing it with his more active side.  I believe that each benefits from the other.

Dad is proud of you buddy.  Keep it up.  Love you.

Broadening my Horizons

Recently I was encouraged to send some material to another out door based website that was seeking bloggers for some writing.  They asked me to do a top 10 list and so I did.  Check out outdoorzy.com for my newest endeavor and let me and them know what you think.

All over it

I've been real busy at work lately.  It has made it difficult to provide a regular blog but that doesn't mean that I haven't been writing.  I have had a couple of press releases picked up lately and will actually disrupt someone's sleep tomorrow morning through a live interview on NB Maritime News Radio.

All this has been very rewarding as I am starting to see the fruit of my labor really blossom.  We have had a successful summer so far and still have a number of projects to pull off yet.  This might mean it will be a while before I get a full post up here but when I do it should be a good one.