Moments with the minister: Hiking at Hagerman – Sherman Denison Herald Democrat
April 16, 2022
| Special to the Herald Democrat
The other day our family went to Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge last weekend. Our son Miles is nearing the completion of his merit badges for Eagle Scout. He needed to fulfill the requirements of cooking: two meals and a snack. We’ve lived in Sherman nearly six years, but this was our first visit to Hagerman. It was a beautiful, sunny day. While Miles prepared breakfast (eggs/cheese/bacon cooked in a sandwich bag in a pot of boiling water– some of the best eggs i’ve ever tasted, no kidding), I decided to walk a little distance and practice a new mindfulness exercise I learned recently.
5-4-3-2-1. You take a moment, preferably outside, and experience, in any order, your five senses. I did this twice during our hikes. The first time:
5 sounds: car, bird, airplane, family voices, wind
4 sights: cactus, sky, downed tree, grass
3 touches: thorns, mud, walking stick
2 tastes: egg, tortilla
1 smell: propane
The second time, an hour later:
5 sights: spider, rabbit, butterfly, seven buzzards, fellow hikers
4 sounds: pouring water, cleaning the pot, more birds, scattered voices
3 touches: sun on my neck, water bottle, texture of the tall grass
2 tastes: Skittles, pretzels
1 smell: trail mix
This is something each of us can do throughout the day: on lunch break, first thing in the morning, staring at the stars after dark. It really helps to focus on the moment.
I mentioned Skittles: Miles gave up chocolate for Lent, so his trail mix did not include M&M’s. Lent is a season of preparation for 40 days before the coming of Easter. It recalls Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness (Luke Chapter 3), Moses on the mountain, the Israelites lost in the wilderness, Noah on the ark. Traditionally, Christians take on such practices as daily scripture reading, …….
