Chris Yencha, Landscapes of the Sacred 1

When class met at the Lion's Gate Bridge a few weeks ago, I will be first to admit that I was not looking forward to taking the time to walk all the way down to the site to spend class. I had a meeting immediately after class and was a little aggravated at the possibility of not making it back in time. However, I tried to immerse myself in the experience as much as possible. On the walk there, I greeted everyone I passed on the trail and tried to immerse myself into the journey. I was disappointed that most people whom I walked past seemed to find me very strange for acknowledging that the two of us had just crossed paths. Communitas certainly did not seem to exist on the Noland, so I began to try to engage myself with the ambiance as much as I could to little avail. Forcing myself to attempt to appreciate a particular leaf or tree for the sake of enjoying the class was pointless and probably counter-productive.
I finally made it to the bridge and was a little frustrated to discover that I was about thirty minutes early. I already was not enjoying the point of this class period and it had not even begun yet. I approached the water near a large tree by the bridge and took a seat. For some reason, I felt compelled to climb up the tree. The next 30 minutes up in that tree looking out over the water, watching the awkward ducks swimming around and feeling the cool breeze of the afternoon was one of the most relaxing periods that I had experienced in weeks.
Sacred Place is not chosen, it chooses. Once class began, I felt much more naturally emerged in the trail. I had been trying too hard to gain something from the experience of walking along the trail until the tree allowed me to relax and appreciate the journey. I had a great afternoon and was not even late for my meeting!