The Beckoning Path

Canvey Wick Path

An early morning stroll through Canvey Wick, a new-to-us nature reserve, reminded me of the joys of walking in the world. We found cuckoos, nightingales, rabbits, a baby fox, and bees galore. What a wonderful way to take advantage of the incredible spring weather that has finally arrived! I could feel the Path inviting my footsteps.

Canvey Wick Map

Catching Up

When I first started this blog on New Year’s day 2015, I did it to encourage myself to get out into my world, wherever my days took me. What I found was a spiritual practice and an enhanced noticing of small beauties. I felt a sense of accountability which brought out the best in me, a layering of appreciation for what was literally underfoot and within view instead of constantly yearning for what I imagined was just beyond my reach. I enjoyed the connection I felt with my readers, and I loved being able to look back over my collection of journal entries – my year in a nutshell.

After a while, though, things got complicated. While I loved the immediacy of choosing and showing a snapshot of my day, I also started to worry about telling the world when I was wandering far from home – our address is well publicized. I still don’t know how to square that circle. Keeping our home safe is an important consideration!

Is it time to move from Blogland to Instagram? I do have social media accounts, and I’m trying to get my head around Instagram and its array of bewildering hashtags, so that might be a way forward, but somehow I don’t feel ready to give up the benefits of maintaining a blog – and I don’t mean the financial benefits that I’m assured would come if I would only monetize my site. I can understand the appeal, as well as the financial necessity, of making money from the time and expertise spent blogging, but that isn’t why I am doing any of this. To be honest, this is partly a selfish endeavour, one that brings me great joy in the form of awareness and insight, an ever-widening community, and a way of looking back across my own footsteps through the year.

So today I’m picking up the path and plunging ahead. Perhaps not daily, and possibly with some new formats. As before, this is the more spontaneous of my blogs, a playground where I can speak freely and without dressing up. I hope you’ll join me!

Canvey Wick