Reason # 6 NATURE Boots & Oar

May 24, 2025

There are moments when the noise of the world fades, and all that’s left is the sound of oars in water or boots on earth—and that’s where I feel most alive.

My love for nature isn’t something I picked up—it’s something I’ve always felt, like a pulse just beneath the surface. The ocean and the mountains speak in different languages, but both call me in the same way: toward clarity, humility, and awe.

Rowing strips everything back to the essentials. When you’re alone in your little kayak cruising the calm waters of the Helderberg Basin, just off Strand beach, there’s no noise—just rhythm, weather, and the horizon. The Highrise buildings a distant horizon. Once in a while a Rob will come say hi! (They look far bigger in such close proximity than you would expect - but WHAT a moment!) It’s not just physical joy; it’s trust and connection in the ocean’s power and your own presence in each humbling moment—almost becoming one with the ocean, with each movement of your oar.

Hiking, on the other hand, lets me listen to the land. Step by step, hill by hill, I learn from landscapes shaped by time and weather. Every vista offers new perspective, and every descent is a chance to reflect—beauty and majesty all around. The silence of a forest or the wide breath of an open trail stays with me long after the journey. Not to mention the lingering closeness of a majestic Mountain.

Together, rowing and hiking help me stay connected to nature—one through movement over water, the other through grounding on earth. These are more than recreation. They’re how I recharge, reconnect, and remember that I’m part of something far bigger than myself.

I am forever grateful to the friends who share these experiences with me—especially my friend Marais and his doggies. Together, we’ve traversed quite a few miles in the great outdoors. Our camping trip under the magical oaks near his hometown of Ceres is also a highlight I truly cherish. Soon, we’ll go again—maybe just as Spring rears her beautiful head, or perhaps closer to Summer - but we can certainly hear the Oaks calling our names again or perhaps some far away river's edge.

I also want to acknowledge my mother, who instilled in me from childhood a deep love for nature. She always pointed out the beauty around us—the rich scent of a deep red rose or the roaring crash of angry waves over dark rocks along the West Coast.

Once, when I was flying overseas, I looked out over the vast ocean below—just water, as far as the eye could see. In that moment, I thought of the Creative Energy behind it all, and of my mother, who taught me to see the closeness and wonder of nature always. Then again, I think I was a ready student, because—as I mentioned in the beginning—I am pretty sure I have the nature gene deeply embedded in me.

So today, I celebrate the beauty of nature and the miracle she is to me. I’m endlessly grateful to have partake so often in her generous and nurturing Spirit—may that never ends.