"Hey everyone,
Well the countdown is well underway- just about 3 weeks left til I'm home. I truly can't wait!
However- this sort of perception is very broad, the longing and wanting of home is a vast undertaking for one's soul. So instead I will focus on the minuscule events of this summer that have influenced me most. For everything is put together perfectly by tiny, seemingly insignificant pieces- even experiences.
A few days ago, sitting under the awning of my tent in my time-off-chair, I was being swarmed by gnats and other annoying bugs. Swatting and swearing at little things I could hardly see finally took its toll on my patients and so I finally found a specimen trekking through my arm hair. Upon closer observation, I found that what I had come to hate and set out to kill was actually an amazing work of Creation. This tiny bug, no bigger than the ballpoint of a pen was beautiful: with a bright neon green body and white wings that stood together over its back and veined with a thick black line that branched out like a watershed being looked down upon from an airplane window. This tiny little annoying thing was a masterpiece and I instantly let the bugs do as they wished around my head and sat in contentment that around me was something truly amazing....there was no way I would let them into my tent though, death would come swiftly if any of them even tried to cross that line.
Yesterday I took two guests for a float down the river. It was one of those odd days on the Bighorn. My clients were Joe and Shawn, brothers-in-law from Arizona, and avid fishers but first-time fly fishers. Joe had fly fished before but it was Shawn's first time ever. There was lots and lots of activity especially on the surface and I knew exactly what they were eating, there were not too many boats on the top 3, but for whatever reason the fish did not commit to taking anything casted by man. Of all the professional, long time guides that were on the section with me yesterday I only saw two of them hook up with a fish. But as the old saying goes and holds true, "That's why they call it fishing, not catching." And for these guys, they took that acceptance with flying colors and used the few hours we were out as a learning experience over a fishing trip. However it was the appreciation of frustration that curved my interest. I often tell people that I love fly fishing because it pisses me off more often than not! You're forced to mimic a minuscule part of the ecosystem, nearly perfectly, in order to spur success. A tiny variable over looked and it will spell utter failure, as it did for many of us on the river that day. But we all loved it.
Tonight I went fishing on a whim, and turned out to find an old friend in the valley of wild flowers and grasses along the river. The lone black stallion, Fernando, as I call him. Fernando is an interesting character, and all the times I've seen him he's alone, usually standing under the same tree, doing his own thing on his own time. Last year, Fernando was seemingly shy and cautious anytime I would approach him, as I've always been fascinated by his charm and antisocial nature and would try to form a bond with food and a touch. Usually when you pass him by, he'll glare at you, watching you almost in shock or fright. But today, I was walking down the trail and saw him in the distance, a stunning figure alone in a speckled valley of color and a backdrop of golden mountains and purple skies. And as I approached him, I started clicking my tongue to let him know I was coming so he wouldn't get scared. He looked up from grazing and glared at me for awhile, I stopped silently and waited to see what he would do. A breeze rolled through the cottonwoods on the bank and rustled the grasses, he huffed a sigh and lowered his head and I clicked and called his name and he walked up to me. A first ever! He whinnied and huffed and stuck his nose in my chest and at my feet as if he was saying, "Welcome back, where have you been?" I patted his head and grabbed his ear and he went back to grazing and I kept on down the trail in search of hungry fish...
After landing a nice 17" trout on a large streamer (minnow imitation fly) I called it a night. And on my way back I noticed something that sent me straight to the savannah- two sand hill cranes standing in the middle of the field. I strayed off the foot path and slowly stalked the great birds and was was overcome by almost other-worldly perceptions. What appeared to be so small from a few hundred yards away now stood just as tall as I and we were the only ones in the field, with the mountain behind them and sunset behind me showing everything off in immaculate colors. Time slowed as the distance closed, as steps became planned and steady. I came within twenty feet of the majestic birds and was honored to know that their migration spans the world and back, and here they are in front of me. I stopped as they started to walk away from me. It seemed prehistoric or more really beyond words, something straight out of a national geographic magazine as they swayed and strolled their way through the tall grasses. And once they stopped again, I turned and went back to my little tent happy to know that not only will I hear their exotic calls at twilight, but now even more happy I had finally seen the musicians.
As a reminder, always remember the little things. They are so easily missed in today's life of action, yet play such a crucial role in even our daily being.
Love,
Evan"
In the field of Outdoor Leadership and Outdoor Education, reflection is the most important part of the entire experiential process. Through reflection, we can figure out what went wrong, what went right, and what we could do differently to improve in the future. But it can be, and should be, inducted into almost every facet of our life. We can divulge into a deeper and better amount of experience when we simply talk about it and put perspectives and thoughts around the situations, then revealing hidden meanings, hidden realizations and understandings and creating lasting influences on our outward and inward perceptions. We can apply this to school, work, relationships with friends, spiritual life, even the family vacation. In July, I became good friends with the Wittry's of Denver, CO. At the end of their stay, just before they left, we circled up, put our arms around each other, and I told them, "Reflection is the most important part of any experience- and I'd really like to hear what you liked best about your trip." Connor started it off by saying how he "really liked being together as a whole family," and how he missed times like those since he left for college. Then Brennan went and said how she was happy to have spent so much time with her family and felt like they all got to know each other better than when they arrived. Eddy, the dad, holding back tears, said, "I'm happy I got to spend so much quality time with my family too, its the most important part of my life." A simple question revealed a powerful connection.
I swear by the use and practice of reflection as a way to better understand who you are, who your peers are, and how you will grow from your experience- good or bad. To focus in on the little things in life can reveal huge connections and broaden perspectives to vast horizons never imagined before, or at the same time, it can narrow in on traits or defining moments that explain exactly who you are and why. I would urge you to take a few moments everyday, at really any point, and reflect on anything and everything you have done that hour, that day, year, decade, and eventually your whole life. Examine all the little bits and pieces- Leave no rock unturned.
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