Rule Number Seven

I cross the Seventh Stream without realizing so. I find myself standing in a dry creek bed. The flow of water is no more. Only the pebbles remain, still sitting perfectly next to one another. Yet they are now on top, collecting dust, without a constant flow of water to wash them. The grime of exposure slowly begins to affect this place that once held current. But like everything else in nature, there is a time period before change. Everything in nature stays perfectly organized with a starting point, and then eventually a stopping point. That’s just the way it is. And if you look closely, you can see these small cycles everywhere. The starting points and stopping points of life eventually reach the backcountry Traveler. As today’s Traveler, I bask in the choreography.

I reach Suckerbrook Pond just before the sun disappears into the twilight. The day is done and so am I. My body has been drained and I’m tired and hungry. The day has been fulfilled and another starting point and stopping point have been completed. The Traveler has been aged and matured for the better. I have crossed Seven Streams to reach my destination. Each Stream became a teacher in a world of infinite lessons. Today, I learn about myself, just like yesterday, and hopefully, just like tomorrow. I am grateful for nature and for God showing me my way. I see the order, and I see the grace, and I know that I am part of Nature.

The Seven Streams will eventually change in time, just like I will change. Those starting points and stopping points will evolve into many cycles. The current will become strong and then stop. The flow of water will then disappear for good. The dirt will settle into the streambed covering the pebbles. And eventually, that same dirt will cover me. Eventually, I will become part of the dirt, with another cycle being completed.

I prepare for sleep, tired after an exhausting day. I close my eyes in peace knowing that God is watching over me. I rest for tomorrow’s Adventure, another walk into a different part of the forest. The unknown still remains around each bend, and the space is infinite. The backcountry Traveler never knows how the Adventure will unfold. New Streams will emerge. The crossings will take different strategies, with new steps taken on many different stones. The Traveler moves forward into the backcountry knowing that nothing remains the same.

Rule #7: There are No Rules