I have recently walked around the Lake District’s Ennerdale Water with my partner. Ennerdale is a beautiful lake and I feel I am fortunate to live in a place that is nearby so many beautiful lakes. It usually takes an hour-and-a-half by car to get to the most scenic lakes in England.
http://www.visitcumbria.com/wc/ennerdal.htm
This was the first time we’d walked around Ennerdale, so we didn’t know how long the journey would take or how difficult it might be, i.e. whether it would be rocky or easy walking. We chose to start from the left-hand side of the lake.
The journey wasn’t so interesting at first as most of the lake’s view was blocked by trees. We had to make a detour through a wooded area in order to get around Ennerdale which gave the impression that we were getting farther and farther away from it before eventually getting back on track again.
When walking around the lake we came to a very rocky forest which we found rather hard to walk through. The surface was uneven, full of tree roots and with a little stream flowing down from the mountain. We had to concentrate when walking so that we didn’t stumble on the rocks or tree roots and fall into the lake on the right side.
After a few miles we came to a hilly area with a breath-taking view of Ennerdale Water. Climbing the hill to get around a place called Anglers Crag made us quite breathless but after that the route became easier and the scenery became more beautiful, which made us feel that it was all worthwhile.
Later, when it began to get dark we had to walk really fast to get back to car park. We now know which are the best parts of Ennerdale and look forward to going back again.
On the way home, I reflected on the whole walk and realized how it emulates our life’s journey. We go through life without knowing what is ahead of us. A good or bad experience, whether it’s boring or exciting, or how long we are going to live, etc.
In life we have to take a detour sometimes which is necessary in order to gain different experiences to prove that we are on the right track. Time is not wasted because it adds more excitement and colour to life.
We have to go through the boring and tough experiences in life in order to appreciate how good life can be - it is part and parcel of life’s whole journey. We have a choice to either initiate a tough and boring life and end with good life, or the opposite. Whichever decision is made we have to go through both. There is no such thing as a good life or a bad life forever - things change but it depends on how we appreciate each moment.
When we go though the rocky parts of our life we just have to be more mindful and concentrate that we don’t fall easily, and with the vision that events will change for the better.
The next time we go for a walk we will still choose to start from the left-hand side, which means starting a boring and tougher journey with the vision that we are heading for a nicer walk with a better view during the second half of the journey. We will walk with a more mindful attitude and enjoy and appreciate every minute knowing this is part and parcel of the walk.
