Center for Catholic Education at UD

By Mariam Couri

Over the summer I worked as a day-camp counselor for my local park district. The camp was exclusively outdoors and featured hiking, fishing, canoeing, archery and many games and activities for the campers to engage in. One of my personal favorites was hiking. I have always felt a deeper connection to the Lord when outdoors. Perhaps because of the intricate delicacies of nature or simply the wonder that I feel when faced with the reality of God’s creation. My campers did not always feel similarly about the great outdoors. I was with the youngest age group at the camp with campers ranging in age from four to six years old. In the beginning of the summer any time my group would venture into the woods the only comments I could hear sounded like “my feet hurt” “I hate hiking” “why can’t we just watch TV?” “I am going to fall over” “I will NOT walk anymore.” Trying to discover a way for my campers to enjoy nature without acknowledging their discomfort at doing something new such as hiking, was difficult. I attempted to sing songs, tell stories or ask them questions about their favorite things. 

It wasn’t until I spoke to another counselor about our hiking difficulties that I found a solution. This counselor led their group on “nature hikes.” The campers stayed silent during their hikes in the woods so that they could attempt to absorb and observe the nature around them. I decided to implement nature hikes into my group's schedule. I told my campers that we were doing a silent nature hike. I explained that I wanted everyone to find one especially interesting thing in nature to share with the group at the end of the hike. Immediately our hikes became like a treasure hunt. My campers would stop to stare at huge delicate spiderwebs, strange mushrooms, or brightly colored flowers. The silent hikes also led us to see wild animals such as turkeys and other birds. Suddenly, hiking was an adventure and the joy of finding something new and unexpected in the woods became a daily occurrence. There were still some complaints but soon the campers began to ask me if we could do a nature hike or they would try to label and name the plants they discovered. 

The commonplace phrase “stop and smell the roses” is deeply underrated. I believe that taking the time to appreciate our surroundings is critical to developing deeper levels of happiness and finding a relationship with Christ. Negatives are easy to observe and easier to complain about. The temptation to allow our routines to feel mundane and monotonous directly affects our ability to discover the small gifts God has planted in our lives. Finding the hidden flowers in our daily lives takes practice and patience. Taking the time to truly observe our surroundings could be as simple as seeing the trees or flowers in the front yards of houses we pass on our way to work or school, noticing the unique buildings we pass when driving or even acknowledging those around us by holding the door, or offering a smile. 

How often do we allow ourselves to engage in a silent nature hike in our lives? How often do we stop and truly listen and observe what is around us? 

What is God saying in the silence?