Spiritual Recharge
Finally! Warmer weather is lingering longer. Blossoms and buds abound. Spring green, that light shade worn by new, unfurling leaves, jumps out from in and among the still-brown trees that line the roads and climb up mountainsides.
Warmer weather means camping season for Gail, our dog Miles, and me. In 2020, during the height of the pandemic, we joined that tribe of people who were having cabin fever and bought a used motorhome. For Gail, who grew up camping in everything from a tent to a pop-up camper to a pull-behind trailer, our little house on wheels was a return to her childhood joy of visiting state parks and living the outdoors life.
For me, camping in a motorhome was a brand-new experience. Growing up, my family’s idea of camping was staying at the Surf Side 8 efficiency motel at Ocean City, Maryland. No sleeping on the ground. No dealing with heat. No bugs.
That said, staying in our camper isn’t exactly roughing it. We have heat, air conditioning, a bathroom, a microwave, and a two-burner propane stove. And a bed, of course. I know many consider this “glamping,” not camping, but that’s what it took for me to give this form of vacationing a whirl.
And, so, our first adventure of the year took us to Gorges State Park near Sapphire, North Carolina. We’ve parked our motorhome, hooked up the electricity and water, and taken a walk around the campground loop. Miles saw a few dogs he could bark at . . . and we saw rhododendron, pine trees, the ridgeline of the Blue Ridge Escarpment, and a few days of peace and natural beauty ahead for us. It feels good to be here.
Henry David Thoreau, a 19th century Unitarian and American Transcendentalist, could imagine nothing better than being in the thick of the woods, away from the soul-sucking routines of human civilization. Thoreau’s appreciation for nature went beyond merely admiring it. He, like other Transcendentalists, delighted both in being in and being with nature.
In his essay “Walking,” Thoreau suggests the purpose of time spent walking in nature as this: “I am alarmed when it happens that I have walked a mile into the woods bodily, without getting there in spirit.” In other words, nature is something that was meant to connect us to our sense of mystery, the sacred, the divine, or however we understand that which has deep and ultimate meaning for us.
I share Thoreau’s feeling of being in touch with something inexplainable and holy when I’m immersed in the natural world. My spirit needs these soothing and awe-inspiring moments. All of us are surrounded by sad news, and hard things to absorb and live with each day. Spiritual self-care is especially critical in these challenging times.
So, this little camping trip is a charge-up, not a check-out. I’m looking forward to walking on winding dirt trails, breathing in the fresh air, and seeing a few waterfalls. And, I hope to return home a little better equipped for the things I want to do, must do, to help create a loving, healthy, and whole world.
How do you spiritually recharge? I’d like to know what you do . . . and, especially, that you are.
Rev. Terry
1 Jane E. Rosencrans, PhD, “Transcendentalism for the New Age,” a sermon delivered at the Unitarian Universalist Community Church, Glen Allen, VA, on February 6, 2005, https://transcendentalism.tamu.edu/transcendentalism- new-age, accessed on March 28, 2023.