Portaging and my clingy mind

Each summer my family and I go portaging. I know I enjoy it and am a very willing participant. Here is the interesting thing I notice, every single time. My mind likes to hang onto perceived comforts. If I allow my mind chatter to be who I perceive to be ‘Katherine’, I would likely let the things I tell myself talk me out of ever going.

Here’s an example. The preparation to go means my regular schedule that I really enjoy is disrupted.

My normal morning routine lately goes something like this:
Wake
Lemon Water
Meditate
Yoga
Smoothie (recipe at the end of my post 🙂
Walk
The rest of my day begins

Before leaving on a big trip, my day goes something like this:
Meditate
Smoothie
Last minute packing like a maniac
Fly out the door at the last moment or later than we planned
The rest of my day begins

Doesn’t the first one sound more peaceful?

My mind also wants stuff even once we are officially in nature. Usually it kicks in when I realize I have no connectivity. I am not a big tech person. I usually forget to even turn my ringer on on a regular basis but even so, when I know I can’t just check something with my phone I feel a bit uncomfortable. I usually at some point miss access to books and podcasts and I am not crazy about the inevitable shift from fresh veggies over to dehydrated food we prepped. On and on my mind will list the things it wants. It will give me examples of things I could be doing that would be far more effective in the reduction of my to-do list.

You can probably guess what happens next? My clingy mind starts to recognize it could continue to cling or could drop into the ‘now’ of the nature-loving experience. I, Katherine, have a choice. I don’t have to stay at home with my mind. I am not my mind. I can choose to be where I am.

Nature is a tough opponent anyway and I predictably move into a different mental space where the sound of my paddle in the water is the best sound in the world. Physical challenge makes me feel alive. Everything I eat tastes amazing even though I would never choose dehydrated foods on a regular basis. I don’t mind that I smell like a campfire before bed and I fully wake up in the morning after jumping into the lake.

The crazy part of all this is that I know what will happen once I am camping far away from everything. I know I will enjoy it. I have even enjoyed trips when the conditions were far from perfect. And still, my mind is a powerful negotiator despite knowing my own pattern. The whole point I guess that I am trying to make is that we all have a choice to listen to the clinging or move into the freedom of what is. Sometimes we will feel strong enough to recognize the chatter for what it is and other times we will stay at home with our fresh food and make delicious morning smoothies 🙂

Here’s my recipe for my favourite smoothie this summer with a tropical fruit variation if you want or need fruit with your greens. Enjoy!

1 cup coconut water or water
half a lemon, peeled
a chunk of ginger, peeled
two big handfuls of spinach
1/4-1/2 an avocado depending on size
1 cup of mango and/or pineapple (optional)

Blend until smooth.