Finding those moments of relaxing stillness in life
Start writing a post
Travel

Finding A Moment Of Stillness

A brief escape from the hustle and bustle of daily life

32
Finding A Moment Of Stillness

If modern life can be marked by anything it can be marked by constant motion. Everywhere you look is defined by the constant go go go, the ceaseless march of time rushing on to some unknown end. After a while it can be so overwhelming it drains your resolve to face the world around you. At this point it's nice to find a brief respite in some moment of quite stillness away from it all to reflect and recharge.

I was fortunate enough to stumble into one of these moments recently. It was in the final day of the USF XC team's running camp up in Soda Springs by Lake Tahoe. The other guys and I had just finished making dinner for the rest of the team and were looking for some way to amuse ourselves before making the long walk back to our cabin. A couple of the guys (Jack and Hugh) and I decided to go out and take one last look at the lake nears where the girls were staying. For some reason it popped into Hugh's head to go out on the lake and he hopped in a canoe to go out for one last trip around the lake. Then, only in that way that the minds of young men comes up with mischief when they are in a group, Jack and I had the thought to steal all the paddles and leave Hugh stranded on a lake without a paddle. After a bit of horsing around on the shore Hugh got a paddle and took off and Jack decided to follow him in a broken down old sailboat. A bit after he left I decided to follow them in a kayak by imitating the pro kayakers you see on the videos sliding down banks and over waterfalls by sliding off the shore into the water. I of course forgot that I'm just a college student and not a pro kayaker and I was wearing regular clothes instead of water proof ones and I got better acquainted with the lake than I would of liked for my troubles.

Going out on to the lake I began to realize that I had entered some new state of being as the lake was smooth as glass and the sky was bathed in the soft violet of the setting sun as bats and birds swooped above the waters surface. I found my wayward teammates out in the middle of the lake just floating and relaxing and I came to rest along side them. We stayed like that a good while the three of us floating together all in a row until we were joined by three more of our teammates in another canoe who pulled up and merged with our formation. Eventually a seventh would join us on a paddleboard of all things. There we were a bunch of young men sitting there quietly on a lake at the end of summer before school started, it looked like something out of one of those coming of age melodramas you see at awards season. Eventually the oncoming night forced us to head for home but our night wasn't quite over yet. No it wouldn't be over until we got back to our cabin after a slow walk through the dark under the stars gazing at the vast universe above us.

Looking back now I'm struck now by just how peaceful everything was, it was all so calm basking in the setting sun with only the occasional bat flying by to remind you that there was still a world in motion around you. It was the kind of moment that you frankly don't believe could be real and yet is. It's Interruptions in the flow of life such as this remind you to not get so caught up in the rat race of the world and to take a few moments to just be, they remind you to live.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Student Life

Waitlisted for a College Class? Here's What to Do!

Dealing with the inevitable realities of college life.

58873
college students waiting in a long line in the hallway
StableDiffusion

Course registration at college can be a big hassle and is almost never talked about. Classes you want to take fill up before you get a chance to register. You might change your mind about a class you want to take and must struggle to find another class to fit in the same time period. You also have to make sure no classes clash by time. Like I said, it's a big hassle.

This semester, I was waitlisted for two classes. Most people in this situation, especially first years, freak out because they don't know what to do. Here is what you should do when this happens.

Keep Reading...Show less
a man and a woman sitting on the beach in front of the sunset

Whether you met your new love interest online, through mutual friends, or another way entirely, you'll definitely want to know what you're getting into. I mean, really, what's the point in entering a relationship with someone if you don't know whether or not you're compatible on a very basic level?

Consider these 21 questions to ask in the talking stage when getting to know that new guy or girl you just started talking to:

Keep Reading...Show less
Lifestyle

Challah vs. Easter Bread: A Delicious Dilemma

Is there really such a difference in Challah bread or Easter Bread?

38003
loaves of challah and easter bread stacked up aside each other, an abundance of food in baskets
StableDiffusion

Ever since I could remember, it was a treat to receive Easter Bread made by my grandmother. We would only have it once a year and the wait was excruciating. Now that my grandmother has gotten older, she has stopped baking a lot of her recipes that require a lot of hand usage--her traditional Italian baking means no machines. So for the past few years, I have missed enjoying my Easter Bread.

Keep Reading...Show less
Adulting

Unlocking Lake People's Secrets: 15 Must-Knows!

There's no other place you'd rather be in the summer.

959523
Group of joyful friends sitting in a boat
Haley Harvey

The people that spend their summers at the lake are a unique group of people.

Whether you grew up going to the lake, have only recently started going, or have only been once or twice, you know it takes a certain kind of person to be a lake person. To the long-time lake people, the lake holds a special place in your heart, no matter how dirty the water may look.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

Top 10 Reasons My School Rocks!

Why I Chose a Small School Over a Big University.

195513
man in black long sleeve shirt and black pants walking on white concrete pathway

I was asked so many times why I wanted to go to a small school when a big university is so much better. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure a big university is great but I absolutely love going to a small school. I know that I miss out on big sporting events and having people actually know where it is. I can't even count how many times I've been asked where it is and I know they won't know so I just say "somewhere in the middle of Wisconsin." But, I get to know most people at my school and I know my professors very well. Not to mention, being able to walk to the other side of campus in 5 minutes at a casual walking pace. I am so happy I made the decision to go to school where I did. I love my school and these are just a few reasons why.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments