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Sometimes, I feel the need to pause for the cause, actually I feel it everyday. Rain or shine, hot or cold, my dog Irie and I go for a walk, the 5 mile or so kind. We have a couple different neighborhood routes; sometimes we go see Libby, Mocha, Gizmo, and the boxers. Sometimes we go see the pack of hybrid-hyena looking dogs at that corner house, and Otis. And then there are the days we get in the car first and head over to

another of my all time favorite places in Knoxville, Ijams Nature Center. I just had to go a couple days ago, when it was so warm and beautiful. Days like that are extra special for those of us from up North, where it actually gets cold in the winter and it never storms in February. I thought it was Armageddon when I experienced my first winter storm a few weeks after I’d moved here! But I digress … I arrived at Ijams later than usual due to the inexplicable construction on Cherry Street? The line of the cars in the detour route was annoyingly long, so I turned off to find my own way – which by the way - is the BEST way to learn how to get around. 5 minutes later I came out at the Weigles above the Old City. See, now that James White Parkway is cut off, you have to take the unbelievably long lighted Hall of Fame, the overly cramped Broadway/ Henley Street route, or the over the river and through the woods no-clue-how-to-retrace- route so you end up behind the police station to pick up James White for a quick hop skip and a jump over the bridge. Eventually we got there and since it is staying light longer (YEA!) we could make up for lost time.

Irie and I have several routes through Ijams as well, depends if we are running or walking, the time of day, and how many other people are there. See, while Irie and I are of the friendly variety we each have an alternate agenda which is not always conducive to being around lots of other people, or any for that matter! I’m praying and Irie is

‘hunting’, which means she’s running around chasing after critters, and smelling things, and never actually catching anything. Even when Ijams is packed though you still have your space which is one of the things I love about it, plus it’s so close! In 10 minutes you can be out in the woods, with the rivers, hills, fields, and the mountain views. You can do a light walk and take in the variety of plants and wildlife in 30 minutes or you can do a hearty 5+ miler and take in all of Ijams, Meads Quarry, and the greenway running out into Forks of the River WMA (Wildlife Management Area). Both Ijams and Meads Quarry have nice hills and views so you can get your heart rate up, (try running up Tower trail) and the trails loop and meander around several bodies of water, which makes it all the more special to me. You know how water always adds that backdrop of sound, by its’ movement? Ahh, just thinking of it makes me want to go to the beach this weekend and listen to the waves, there is something grounding and comforting in the steady movement of water, it’s like looking up at a night sky full of stars and thinking the light you are now seeing first shinned millions of years ago, but it’s just now getting here! Which leaves me feeling connected, albeit slighty geeky perhaps? The other thing I love about the water being close by is the extra sparkle and shine it adds from the sunlight reflecting off the top.

You know how sometimes things hit us in life that make us stop and take stock of what it is we believe in anyway? You know when it seems like the rug is pulled out from under you? It makes you check in and ask, ‘what is it I’m living for’? See, at this point it was after 6 and the sun was beginning to set and we were out along the boardwalk, and the river was flowing, and the sky was lit up, and I was struck by the light. As we walked I watched the sunlight sink down and grow longer, the colors morphed into deeper hues and warmer tones, and I remembered something I used to think on often as a child. Does the sun need anyone to acknowledge that it rises and sets - to rise and set each day? I mean if we all lived like the people that lived underground in the Silver Chair by C.S. Lewis, (one of my favorite authors), and never saw the sun, it still would rise and set. The sun doesn’t need us to acknowledge its dance each day. And just because we don’t believe in it doesn’t make it any less true. When you are in a space where it’s down to the wire and you have to believe in a thing with every fiber of your being. The kind of down to the wire where you can’t go by what you see, otherwise you wouldn’t believe in a thing, like the sun, because you are in the dark at the moment and you can’t see the sun? That’s when you really need to know that you know that you know what it is you believe in. That’s when you need a good dose of vitamin T, Truth. Sometimes all you’ve truly got is what you believe and with the world continuously trying to ram subjectivity down my throat, I need to get away from manicured lawns and memos, and questions of consequence like ‘why did Britney shave her head?’, and all other things we humans revolve our lives around.

I need to be surrounded by sky and water, to listen to the leaves sing in the breeze, to watch the birds soar and the flowers bloom, to pray and listen, and get a good dose of the bigger picture beyond my ‘world revolves around me mentality’. Seriously I was deep in thought and all full of me, and I came round the bend of the boardwalk and saw a river otter not more than 10 feet away floating on his back like seals do, messing with something in his hands, something to eat no doubt. I had seen squirrels scurrying around looking for food, birds soaring and dipping into the water for a bite, and it all came together and hit me! All around me I was surrounded by living things that have an entirely different attitude about life than the one I currently saw myself having. They were in a place of trusting. Trusting there would be enough food, that there would be shelter from whatever next storm was coming, that they would be healthy enough to do the work they needed to get the food, trusting that all their needs would be met. Yet another awesome part of going for a hike and letting the wonder of creation settle into you, it opens the eyes of my heart and mind again so I can re-connect to the bigger picture of reality. It’s one of the things that brought me to Knoxville actually. The mountains, and water, and big sky, I know that’s Montana’s line, but Tennessee has a big sky to me.

I started that walk with a chip on my shoulder, dragging a few bags of the crap one accumulates when you buy into stinkin’ thinkin’; negativity, lies, and the like. You know things that hold you down, like sludge in a swamp. Things that make it hard to grow and rise and experience that restored abundant life we have all been called to. But, after 5 miles of walking and breathing, praying and listening, looking and hearing, I walked out of there a whole new girl. That chip fell right off, the bags were dumped out into that sparkling water and the furrow in my forehead was replaced with smiles and laughter. I know many people swear by their therapists, their prescription meds, chocolate, or shopping, and I’m not knocking any of them, well perhaps shopping therapy? J But, not only is taking a walk at Ijams free, it’s also good for your body, mind, and spirit. And your dog’s, or friend’s, or neighbor’s, or relative’s body, mind, and spirit, so you get 2 for the free price of one. Go check it out and see how many smiling people you walk past. I LOVE Ijams, it is the closest slice of heaven I know of around here, and the best therapy in town!