My family and I are fortunate enough to live near a large reservoir. No one is allowed to swim in it, but we are allowed to sail, row, and play on the beaches.
The mountains peek through the view in the distance, teasing and calling us like Sirens. With the city circling our backs, it only takes a moment to heed their call. At our feet lie the rocks carved from the mountains and left behind as the water journeyed from the reservoir.
One of our most simple family activities is to go and throw rocks in the water. The handfuls the kids chuck make a not-so-quiet PLOP! PLOP! PLOP! as they break the surface, while we adults work hard to skip the not-actually-flat rocks.
We don’t talk much as the rocks fly. Everyone is in quiet contemplation with the rote nature of rock-flinging. For a group of people who have about as much spirituality all together as a yogini has in her baby toe, this is as close as we get to meditation.
Ultimately pointless, rock throwing can be done just about anywhere―the beach, a stream, a puddle in the back alley or the slough at a farm. Rocks plus water, that’s all you need.
The same effect can be had from gathering pinecones, looking for four-leaf clovers, searching for sea glass, and picking out pretty fall leaves. Being out in nature, in contemplation, engrossed in a repetitive activity, is indeed spiritual. It answers the Sirens’ call to leave the city behind. Even if you can’t actually do that.
Cheryl Arkison is a writer, quilter, and mom. She writes and teaches on quilting, craft, creativity, food, and family—all from her dining room empire. From this space she wrote her first book, Sunday Morning Quilts (co-authored with Amanda Jean Nyberg) and her second book, A Month of Sundays. Her third book will be released in 2015. A proud first generation Ukrainian, she is committed to not letting the artistry of food and craft from her heritage pass by unnoticed in the modern age. Cheryl is the mother of three kidlets and wife to her entrepreneur husband. www.cherylarkison.com
Imagery provided by Cheryl Arkison