As she climbs out of her cozy nest she grabs and pulls on her jeans, leans over to slide on her knit socks onto her cold feet, then reached over for her moccasins. Her moccasins slip easily onto her slender feet, and in one swift motion she pulls a tee shirt from the shelf and a light pullover.
After a quick breakfast she, the wayfarer, is on her way. Her destination? Oh, no one knew, even the wayfarer herself, but she was okay with living a coodiwomple life, as that is the wayfarer’s way of life!
The wayfarer is a simpleton. She loves adventure, is very easy going, and is definately laid back. “Life itself is the REAL adventure!” the wayfarer shares with those she randomly meets, on her adventures.
The wayfarer gallivants through the woods intentionally staying off of the trails the average Joe hikes on. Her light breakfast was the first-fuel for the day’s hike. She has a small pack on her back filled with a canteen of water, some nuts, seeds, and an apple, all to refuel during her journey.
The wayfarer jaunts through the woods, like an expert mind you, a knife in pouch hangs from her belt, a gun hangs from a sling snuggly on her back, as she most days hunts for her food. The wayfarer’s life is simple, yet profoundly complex as she depends on her ecosystem to provide the foods she eats. Each day she travels the land near and far to hunt and gather food, provisions/supplies, goods for the purpose of living. Most days her finds are trouvaille. For her, yes, she has intentions of finding certain goods during specific seasons, but, the wayfarer just never knows what each day will bring.
She lightly steps through the forest, as she knows she is a solivagant wanderer except for when she crosses paths with a living creature. Her life is quiet, peaceful, almost tranquil, as she goes about her days. Living in a remote area, she rarely crosses paths with others, not many common Joes around these parts. And the wayfarer is okay with this. Life is just the way the wayfarer wants it to be. She feels blessed to be living her best life each and every day.
The sun is high in the sky when the wayfarer stops to rest. She sits near a creek that she’s been parallelly following for miles through the forest. This creek has the cleanest water, and is so very refreshing in quenching her recent hour of thirst. She leans down to refill her canteen, watching the water flow. Taken with the flow, she sits back, sipping from her canteen… resting all the while. The wayfarer knows by the height of the sun that it’s about noon time. She grabs the nuts and seeds from her pack, while spotting and then picking a few wild weeds that are nutritious, healing, and nourishing to the body. She munches on her light meal while thinking about the way life used to be. With no more than this one thought, she immediately decided to think about something else. She focused on the here and now, and again, felt peaceful. Gone was the abrupt racing of her heart and anxious feelings. Finishing her nutritious weeds, seeds, and nuts, she tucked the remains into her backpack and refilled her canteen, again.
Back on the trail, the wayfarer hunts birds. She is a sharp shooter, rarely missing her aim. She is also very mindful to not hunt more than she needs. The wayfarer bimbles through the woods and only shoots when she finds that certain something she’ll be eating that same night, and next day or days. Nothing is wasted, ever.
It is mid afternoon by the looks of the sun. The wayfarer knows she needs to turn around to head home. Her humble adobe awaits her arrival. As she trudges through the forest she picks more of the delicious and nutritious weed she’d snacked on for lunch. In addition, she spotted edible mushrooms and plucked a generous handful. She snacked on a few mushrooms on her journey home, saving the rest for her supper. Tonight, she will be preparing, “Quail Curry”, complete with sautéed mushrooms, onions grown from her garden, and a mixed array of greens she’d just picked on her walk back home.
Arriving home, she immediately starts her cooking fire. Within an hour, she was well into preparing her supper meal. The sun soon set. She lit a candle for evening light inside her abode. When her supper was ready, she sat down on one of the two wooden chairs she herself had carved, at the table that she’d also made. The wayfarer was resourceful, a crafty woman, indeed. The intricate detail to her kitchen dining area treasures are extravagant, yet simple in beautiful. Slowly, she eats her meal savoring each bite. The tastes burst in her mouth, spices exploding with luscious flavors that make her smile.
After finishing her meal, she cleans her dishes and then herself after an incredible day in the woods. These are some of her favorite adventures, the ones like today. Whenever she feels the eleutheromania hit a peak inside of her, she knows there is no denying her need to take a bimble into the woods. And every time she does, euphoria sets in! Tonight, the wayfarer’s heart feels a longing, a pulling. She isn’t sure what is going on, but she feels as if her heart is trying to tell her something. She takes a deep breath in and at the same time lays her hands over her heart, and then… she awakens.
“I was dreaming,” she murmurs to herself. As she takes another breath she realizes she is sweating as she’s been dreaming in her nest. Oh, the way life used to be, she thinks to herself. It’s the year 2021, and she often wakes to the same dream of what her life used to be; simple, peaceful, quiet, filled with nature, adventure, movement, little if no stress, and freedom. She, the wayfarer, sighs as she pulls the covers back while slipping out of her nest. Time to take on this day, and be the best version of myself, she thinks.
Life has changed drastically since the wayfarer’s early years. It’s been challenging for her, but each and every day she takes on the day, for whatever it may bring, respecting herself, others, her freedoms and her opportunities. Life is different than her early years, but her dreams of what life used to be help the wayfarer to understand that “life isn’t always an easy ride”. So each day, nowadays, the wayfarer laces up her sneakers with a genuine smile on her face, ready to embrace each beautiful day she is given on this planet. Every day is a blessing that I will not take for granted, she often shares with people. And to this, people smile and nod.
To you, the reader, “May you be still and know that no matter how crazy life may be, that you need to find time for you. To find time to choose to see joy in the simple things, and to smile more. Life is our greatest blessing… and it can be all to easy to get down. May you find peace, joy, and smiles today and always,” says this wayfarer.
Your Life, Your Choice 