“The true meaning of life is to plant trees, under whose shade you do not expect to sit.” -Nelson Henderson
Hi there travelers,
I've been thinking a lot about planting seeds these days. During my recent trip with the Sacred Scotland tour, a friend of mine passed away suddenly. I compartmentalized a bit, trying to keep my focus on an amazing group of tour participants and all the logistics that come with that. I saved the grief for when I returned home.
The last time my friend reached out to me, I wasn't available. I was elbow deep in tour preparations. I know he understood, but I'm having a harder time with it. It's important to connect with those we love and those we don't. In fact, I'm not sure there is anything as important, though planting seeds of all kinds comes close. Age is creeping up on me and I've become more aware of bringing meaning into each step I take, and, this morning, the river of grief for my friend flowed into more streams of thought...
Seed Grenades
For the recent Sacred Scotland group, Sarah, our contact at Radisson Blu, and I came up with a plan to give each participant a journal and compostable seed pod (that looks like a grenade) that they could throw into fields on our many hikes. They had to be soaked in water first, which some people did and threw. Others gave them away to a local or even brought them home to cast a seed bomb in their own neck of the woods.
Whatever they decided, the idea we had in gifting them, was the same. Pollinator-friendly seed bombs would be cast onto Scotland's breathtaking valleys, riverside fields, magical hillsides, to bloom some season or seasons after we, as tourists, were gone. They would be cast out, not with the promise of seeing them grow, but with hope they would bloom for others, and possibly a future vision of a field of wildflowers with happy birds and bees flitting about. It is Hope, not Promise, that governs the steps we take.
Hope
As I plan a tour and, eventually, join a group of travelers, it is not profit that drives me. I'm afraid I'm not destined to be rich in the traditional sense :). In fact, I seem to go over my budget every time because I want everyone to experience something meaningful and, even, life-changing. For Scotland, the home of my heart, I also want to return reverence for the people and the land. I hope that my groups enrich the country in turn and that my tours give back more than they take. It is the HOPE of a balanced exchange, one that connects people and hearts and experiences, that propels me. Hope is a present emotion. It exists in the here and now and it's really all we can hold in this moment.
We are only tourists in life as well, briefly passing through. So, we cast seeds for a future we cannot know and may not be here to witness. We do so because hope is stronger than fear or blame or apathy, and it is what I wish for us all in our travels and daily lives.
Thank you to the Sacred Scotland tour of 2023, pictured above, who touched me so very deeply. I am without adequate words, but overflowing with hope and love.
Until next time,
Happy Travels!
Raven
P.S. Did you know...
We also have a brand new facebook page!
Follow us here:
Comentários