Pilgrimage
I saw an
article about a man who
completed the 200-mile pilgrimage from Southampton to Canterbury, a medieval
tradition. He used medieval clothes and equipment as much as possible. It brought to mind the
book, Wanderlust: A History of Walking
by Rebecca Solnit (available in hardcover,
paperback, Kindle,
and audio).
According to Solnit,
the pilgrimage blends the eternal and temporal. The reasons are spiritual,
connection with divinity that gives you a grasp of eternity. The means are
temporal. There is a physical destination. There is also physical activity,
moving your body by walking to your destination. All this is timebound, that
is, it takes a certain amount of time to cover the distance and then to do what
you intended to do at your destination.
Solnit said the
pilgrimage is also a metaphor for life as a journey. It brought to mind stories
like John
Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress, the
story of a pilgrim who ends up in the Celestial City. Paradoxically, it's
journey for the least equipped rather than an athletic event for the most fit.
Pilgrims need divine guidance and intervention to reach their destination
because the journey is for a reason outside their capabilities. I accompanied
my aunt on her pilgrimage to Lourdes, a journey initiated by her
ailments.
What does this have
to do with Nordic walking? The exercise can be a local pilgrimage, a full body
way to get to a destination where you can reflect. It can also be on a path to
a favorite spot for contemplation that you drive to. If you're by yourself, the
walk itself can become a contemplative time. If you're with someone, the walk
can be a time of rich fellowship.
If you like music,
consider tracks that set the right mood and be prepared to look at nature. For
most people, nature inspires spiritual attitudes. It provides opportunities to
observe beauty and grace because they "are performed whether or not we will
or sense them. The least we can do is try to be there" (Annie Dillard, Pilgrim at Tinker Creek).
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