The Distant Whisper

So I am ALIVE! WOOOOO! Didn't know if I was going to make it there for a while. Plunge was rough- I'm not gonna lie! Full of new experiences and people- not like me, but that is the cool part about it all. I would not say that I found a new love of backpacking, hiking, going partially insane being in the woods by myself, BUT it was an amazing experience-hard to put in words. The big picture of the week for me was finding the difference between aloneness and solitude. The act of being alone means that there is no one else present. without another's help or participation. Solitude is similar but get this, it is the state or situation of being alone-NOT actually being alone-it says nothing about having no one... so similar I know, but really so different. There was one part of Plunge that was a 24 hour SOLO. Yes, a whole 24-hour period of solitude in the woods with the next person about 50 yards away. I definitely understand why people go mentally insane now-it's hard! But, during this time I was able to reflect on the mysteriousness of God- His love, grace, mercy, joy, and crazy ways! There were no interruptions (except the rain)...think about the last time you had a 24 hour period with no one to jump in to say hi or a call on the cellular! That was the big picture of the week...next is the HIKE!