Avoiding 'Stravafication'
Chasing my best light
Last night I hosted a fascinating panel discussion at Alpkit Ilkley with the fabulous authors Amy-Jane Beer, Jo Moseley and Sara Barnes, along with Karen Shackleton, of the Ilkley Clean River Campaign. Karen is something of a legend, our own Erin Brockovich, whose campaigning secured the first bathing water status in the UK for a local stretch of the River Wharfe.
The crux of the conversation was how our connection to the natural world is enhanced massively by activities such as wild swimming and paddleboarding. Meaning that the people who do these things are more likely to care about and campaign for the environment.
As we discussed how the panel cultivate their connection, Amy-Jane coined the fabulous term 'Stravafication' of the outdoors. She used it as shorthand for an undue obsession with numbers, times, distances, temperatures etc.
This is the opposite of how the panel members deepen their connection through experiences that immerse them in the moment; watching the sunset, searching for fungi or photographing plants and animals.
The term rang true to me, as, though I do use Strava myself, the actual numbers are only of passing interest.
The only personal best I'm chasing is a best light, such as those rare moments in the early morning when the light bends around the neighbouring tower blocks to illuminate the woods' upper reaches in a radiant glow of life. I love observing how the vibrancy of light changes by time of day or year; genuinely, it's one of my main motivations for hauling myself off the sofa on a Saturday morning.
Last weekend, I noticed a different quality of light. As I ran along the trail in pursuit of my shadow, I realised that there was a direct line from the tip of my shadow through the top of my head all the way back to its source, the sun.
I became aware of my alignment and connection with the heavens in much the same way I imagine our ancestors were when they built stone circles and burial chambers to catch the solstice sunrise.
Suddenly, I wasn't jogging along my local trail anymore; I was running through the cosmos.
I know these articles and reflections vary wildly from micro to macro, the personal to the systemic, but that is my intention.
They are an attempt to capture both arms of my pincer movement on the future. I hope you enjoy them and perhaps reflect on them yourself?
Do let me know.
Photo credit: Flickr user Pedro
Stravafication! What a perfect word.