Get out. Move.
The Turning Feral Journal - Day 8
Day 8 - “Get out. Move.” Those are words that I took to heart from a close friend who grew up navigating the woods. It’s so simple, yet profound, and I didn’t really digest its gravity until I had been on my Western journey for a few years.
The impact of those words only hit after I began to become comfortable in my new and wild environment. Over time I found myself frequenting the same areas, the same draws, and the same sections of river. Unbeknownst to me, I fell into the same trap that I had while living in my suburban 9-5 world – I let comfort and familiarity creep in.
Now. There is nothing inherently wrong with this. We all seek comfort in our surroundings, and being comfortable in a wide open and natural place was amazing (and better than the suburban alternative), but I was still stagnating my own growth potential by not getting out further, not pushing over that next ridge line, and not accepting that at times I just needed to “Get out. (and) Move.”
Daily Prompt: What areas of your life are you stagnating in? Where do you find yourself gravitating back toward because of its familiarity? What areas could you benefit from by “getting out and moving around somewhere (or some concept) new?”:
Motivational Passage:
He who climbs up the highest mountains laughs at all of the tragedies, real or imagined.
-Friedrich Nietzsche
Rewilding Action: If you are sitting at your desk on this Friday morning, take some time to look up local state parks near you. Find somewhere you have never been and go there. Walk around, track how the newness and unfamiliarity makes you feel, and be in the moment of feeling “out of place.” Do you feel engaged? Scared? Curious? Take it in and try to make this a monthly exercise.
Thank you for this... this is the most profound and wisdom filled of your journal entries in so many ways.
Not only do I see myself often hunkering in the same fishing holes and hunting spots, but also in life and in profession. All rooted in complacency and often unwilling to admit, fear that kills this natural curiosity.
In the situations I choose to fight this urge and explore, the short term may appear to be an exercise in futility, but almost always results in a rewarding endeavor. That's only in the short term view. In the long term view, the accumulation of branching out results in so many more opportunities whether it's accumulation of many fishing/hunting "secret" spots, but also new friends, large network, professional opportunities, the list is endless.
It always seems so foolish to succumb to this complacency or fear to explore given the reward, but it always seems to be a monster that needs to be overcome repeatedly.
Thanks for sharing this... in my opinion this is arguably top of my list.