Tender Travel
Skiing free on a wilderness lake,
eyes to the sky,
attune to the energy of
the environs,
a gentle awareness
continues to kindle within.
We humans usually think of travel
as going from one place to another -
perhaps by plane or train,
car or bus,
pedal or foot.
We like to expand our horizons
by going someplace new
and different.
Here I am, though,
in a familiar valley
feeling a loving warmth
spread throughout my being.
I stop for a moment and breathe,
honor the courage I carry along
as I wander within
to heal.
One tiny human in the expanse,
more and more I understand that
I truly am here and there
and everywhere.
We all are.
The horizon includes us,
each and every one,
from our very core
to as far as we can see
and beyond.
For so long I felt like an outsider.
How soothing it is to feel
the freedom of being
both outside and in
at the very same time.
Tender travel that tells all,
once we learn to listen.
Sarah Carlson
March 24, 2023
