The Trail Register: A Gift I Have Given or Received
Not all gifts are things.
Dear Kula Diaries friends,
This week on the Trail Register, we are talking about gifts — both tangible and intangible.
In A Course in Miracles, one of the principals is: To have, give all to all. You learn first that having rests on giving, and not on getting. (ACIM, T-6.V-C.6:1)
To practice this concept, simply find a quiet place to be and take a few moments to envision giving peace or love to another human that you care about. Take the time to notice that in your giving of this peace to another, you also receive it back within your heart.
Giving can mean so many things — and, very importantly, it doesn’t have to be extravagant. Love and peace are things that we can choose to give to another human at any moment of any day.
Thank you all for sharing your stories with me — and I hope that all of you experience an abundance of love, kindness and peace during the next few weeks, and always.
‘Gifts’ by Mindi Bennett:
You can find Mindi on her substack or in her book, ‘Kids Out Wild: A Family's Tale of Love and Struggle on Four National Scenic Trails’ — where she writes about the experience of hiking the CDT, AT, PCT and PNWT with her four children.
My wedding gift from My fiancé was not dumb, Rather scuba lessons to get certified So we could dive and on a boat ride On our honeymoon in the sun But anywhere with him would be fun. A honeymoon gift from My parents was not dumb, Rather a trip to the Bahamas To swim with sharks, not llamas. The night before our first dive I set the alarm, wrong, we missed our ride. My first deep sea dive included a gift from The Ocean, who has no mercy for the dumb Beginning diver who didn’t know To avoid touching the fire coral that grow My husband was ready to provide Fresh urine with pride for his bride. The latter gift is not recommended By the Mayo Clinic, they’d be offended.
‘Gifts from the Kula Diaries’: Submitted by Maria Ordovas-Montanes
You can read more about Maria and listen to one of her podcast episodes right here.
Last year I subscribed To the Kula Diaries Reading weekly posts Ask me Anything Deep questions about living And favorite trees Great storytelling The Creepy Cat Detective Do Not Cell Your Soul Then a Nice Surprise Anastasia loved to write The Shroud of Urine Book Club about joy Reading outside comfort zone Dalai Lama laughs Power hour also Hearing the monthly updates Growing over time Mindfulness practice Learn to be in the moment The time? It is now Abundant feelings What if everything goes right? Possibilities Guest post in July About finding a dream job I tell stories too The Trail Register Allows unique expression Experimenting Theme: sleeping outside First poem in a long time A glove left to rest Mixing audio Encounter the animals Woodland walk back home Stop motion movie Finding the fun in filming Walnuts as trail food Trying out drawing Inclement clementine joy There's no bad weather Getting "thank you" mailed The world's most accurate watch Appreciation Arctic Pine to start Growing Kula collection Now have Creepy Cats Creativity Is the best gift I received Kula Diaries
Self photo: if you zoom in you can see my Arctic Pine Kula:
‘Boots to Fill’ — Submitted by Dana Cates @happiestwhenhiking:
My grandmother was a gift. The love of hiking and the outdoors she instilled in me is an even greater gift. I would not be the person I am today without these gifts. The photos my grandparents and their friends took on their adventures, yet another gift. To have the opportunity to look through their memories and relive some of them with my own family is priceless. Comparing the gear they used with what we have today is so interesting. Their big clunky boots, wood framed canvas backpacks & HEAVY cameras…I often think my grandma would laugh at my camp chair and ultralight backpack, in a good natured way because that’s who she was. Seeing my love of the outdoors growing strong in my children fills my heart. When my 12 year old son says he’s bringing his kids to Flapjack Lakes in the Olympics someday while we’re on our family backpack trip there, THAT is the greatest gift. I just hope his future kids think I’m as cool as my grandma was. I have some big hiking boots to fill.
A few final gifts — Submitted by me (Anastasia)
Last year, I wrote a story about a gift that I had purchased as a child… and the gift of sharing music. If you haven’t read it yet (it’s a little bit of a tearjerker), you can find it right here:
Two stories I've never shared.
Pssst. As always, my posts are far too long for e-mail format… so click ‘read more’ to see the whole thing!
Finally, I wanted to end by sharing a little poem with all of you. As a small child, it was my dream to be able to write poems… but I never pursued that path because I incorrectly believed that writing rhyming poems was a silly pipe dream. It has been a gift to be able to come back to all of the things that I’ve loved so much.
There's a gift That you received When you were very small You didn't know you had it Nobody knew at all But as you started taking steps As you smiled and you laughed The gift that was nestled in your heart Began to carve a path Maybe it was fingerpainting Or maybe you loved to write Maybe you could run all day Or maybe fly a kite And then there were some Who liked to listen Quietly to the sound Of the creatures that they watched As they crawled upon the ground Others were so curious About the ways things worked Still, others liked to joke and laugh And often wore a smirk It wasn't what you loved to do But how you did it that mattered When you were doing the thing you loved the most It tuned out all the chatter Immersed in the moment Present in the now It felt like everything was possible You didn't need to know how Until one day A taller person above Said the worst thing of all: You can't do what you love This life is not fair This life is quite cruel So stick to the path And do good in school Because this is the way If you're going to make it It doesn't matter if you're miserable Just try and fake it And your heart felt so sad And your usual lift Just dissolved into despair As you hid away your gift To do what you were told To do the thing that you should Because nobody had told you That if you can dream it, you could Sometimes it takes years To come back to what's true The most difficult journey Is the one back to you But, I promise, my friend It's worth every step I wouldn't led you astray This is a promise I've kept To remind each and every Human being that lives That the things in our heart Are the things we should give And that when we are in touch With the here and the now The answers find us Not the other way around So trust in your path And follow your magic Not sharing your gifts Is a thing so tragic Because each human alive Has a unique lens And when we come together As joyful friends The ripple we send To the world is strong It's a message of love That we all belong A ripple starts small That much is true But the biggest ripple of all Might just start with you.
Friends, I’m sending you all so much love today, and all days. I hope that you have a beautiful rest of your week. Don’t forget how much you are truly loved. Take some time to find a little bit of stillness and reconnect with the infinite gifts that live within your own heart.
If you’d like to submit a ‘signature’ to our next Trail Register in January, I’d love to read it and send you a fun, unique gift! Our next prompt is:
I can’t wait to see your submissions!
Sending you so much love, friends! Be well!
How exciting!!! Thank you so much for including my poem and a link to my Substack and book. You are the very best. I LOVE your poems and every single Kula Diary post! Thank you thank you!
Such a wonderful episode ❤️