Hiking with a Five Year Old

    Saturday was the first snow of the season, and by and large there was little accumulation.  The result was mostly just wet leaves and roads, except for at the higher elevations. 
    My children were ecstatic during the snow and ate more than their fair share, but they were a bit disappointed when so little remained in our yard.  What made it worse, however, was that we live about 2/3rds of the way up the mountain, and the top 1/3rd was white.  Snow on the trees and ground, visible from our home, and visible from the valley below.  The houses on the mountain produced enough head to melt the snow off quickly, but above the houses, a child’s white gold remained.
    Knowing this, and knowing that my daughter loves to go hiking, I suggested that we take a hike.  I assumed she’d just want to head up to our favorite rock across the street and up.  Instead, she said, “Let’s go to the rocks on top of the mountain!”  Always up for an adventure, I said, “Sure,” with the caveat that if she got tired, I would not carry her on my shoulders.  Not only would she get me all muddy with her boots, but the snow and leaves would be slippery under my feet.  She agreed that she’d keep going, IF we could rest when she needed to.  After the negotiations I agreed, then promised to hold her to her end of the bargain.
    I packed snacks, water bottles, and a camera.  We got our coats, gloves, and boots on, and we headed out.  I drove us up to the trail head, and we headed up, walking sticks in hand, and eyes and hearts open for whatever came.
    Now my daughter is five years old, and I’m not sure how many of you have hiked with a five year old.  To put it mildly, it can be tedious.  Fun, but tedious.
    The trail on which we were hiking is a trail that I run often.  The full trail is about 4.5 miles, and it takes me between 40 and 50 minutes to run it, depending on conditions.  The section of the trail that we hiked was about a third that distance, and it took us 2 hours!
    We’d walk about 100 feet and Anna would stop to look at the moss on a rock or look at a tree.  She’d move a bit further than stop to ask me a thousand questions.  We’d move up further and she’d pick up some snow to eat or throw or simply examine the handful for individual snowflakes.  Did I say that hiking with a five year old can be tedious?
    Now I can be a bit “type-A” at times, and it is at times such as these that I can find myself going crazy!  “Come on, Anna,” I’d say.  We’d move a bit.  “Come ON, Anna,” I’d say again.  And the further we didn’t move up the mountain, the more I found myself frustrated...until I caught myself.
    After all, it was my day off from work.  The objective was to be together and explore rather than accomplish a task, which by the way is, or at least should be, the point of hiking!  And as the proverbial two by four hit me in the head, my whole perspective changed.  My whole demeanor changed.

    Instead of focusing on upward movement, I focused on the movement of my heart as my daughter taught me how she sees the world.  Instead of focusing on forward progress, I focused on the simple blessing of experiencing life with one who is excited to be alive.  Instead of focusing on a goal I let focus go and allowed myself to simply be in that time and space, absorbing the gift of time, beauty, and love that God had given me for just a time as that.

    We made it to the top to find a blanket of two inches of snow.  We kept going on the trail, stopping to enjoy the views, take pictures, and avoid the low hanging, snow-covered branches.  Until we made it to an outcropping of rocks.  There we took some time to marvel at the valley below us...and build a snowman...AND have a snowball fight! (Boulders make such great barriers behind which one can hide!)  We had a great time.

    As we made our way back to the car, I couldn’t help but remember that this is Advent.  It’s a time to watch, wait, and simply “be”.  A time to absorb/receive whatever God gives us, then give thanks.  In doing this, God knows that we’ll see things differently, experience life in a new way, maybe even be changed, if just a little, to be more receptive to whatever comes.  In doing this, we prepare ourselves to see and receive the gift that comes.  In doing this, we see and receive Christ.
    Today...hiking with a five year old...I experienced Advent in a new and powerful way.  What a gift!  What a blessing!  What a God!

When was the last time you were able to truly experience Advent?  When did you last simply “be” rather than “do”?