This morning we popped the canoe on to the roof of our vehicle and headed north to a spot on the Moira River where we could paddle in solitude. This unseasonably warm weather (high of 21C today) should be cause for concern because of global heating but we had to seize the moment. This is negotiation season so Ruth says it was our final paddle for 2022 but I just know that she says this in a general sense. We are blessed to live in a region where we can cycle, paddle, walk, or swim within a few minutes of home and we're also grateful for the health to continue doing all these activities into older age.
On our way we listened to a CBC Radio The Current piece on the effects of the pandemic on the physical health of children in Canada. There is a rating system which put kids at an overall D+ before COVID restrictions and a dismal F more recently. Pre-pandemic only 15% of Canadian children got the basic one hour a day on average outside and it got worse after March 2020. We wondered how that can be in country with so much of the great outdoors but there are a lot of factors including the amount of screen time for young people.
We're so happy that our four grandchildren in two households are outside regularly, which was the way our three children were raised. One of our greatest pleasures as grandparents is to go outside with our grandkids, as we did on the weekend. There are times when we get a little nervous because they are so exuberantly "free-range" but they've survived so far!
The irony is that during the first two years of COVID we upped our game in terms of outside time, often skulking our way to quiet places for activity. Being out on the water was and is an excellent way to "social distance", as it was termed in the beginning. If someone in authority wanted to chase us down in our kayaks or canoe they were welcome to do so but it didn't happen. We make a point of getting outside nearly every day and while I also go to the gym a few times a week I know the importance of experiencing the gifts of Creation.
Today most of the leaves were off the trees and it was evident that November isn't far off. Yet we saw several blue herons and kingfishers. One of those kingfishers skimmed along the surface splashing down a number of times, something we had never seen before. They usually hover and dive, so what was this one up to?
The CBC interview today touched on the physical and psychological benefits of outdoor activity but not the spiritual. Most religious traditions celebrate the gifts of Creation as a gateway to joy and wellbeing. It seems, though, that we are reluctant to identify this in a secular society. We certainly celebrated this on what is almost our last outing on the water this year. It seems that we can all be intentional in striving for an A+ in body, mind, and spirit.
2 comments:
And you and Ruth shared your love of the outdoors with all its physical, psychological and spiritual benefits with your fortunate congregation in the North....KB
We have such fond memories of congregational hikes and paddles, youth camping trips, and the legendary canoe trips of the goddesses. Thanks Kathy.
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