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).