Make the Nighthawk Your Friend

There’s a moment, usually an often inconvenient one, when life taps you on the shoulder and says, "Wake up, there’s more."

But this voice isn't talking about more wealth, status, strength, or productivity. It's talking about more depth. More wonder. More meaning. More joy. And more of you available to own your day and the days ahead than you ever thought possible.

Many of us wear an invisible backpack throughout the day filled with the weight of endless goals, deadlines and pressures to perform. We take this backpack off at night only to face a new challenge, what John Koenig refers to as our "Nighthawk".

Nighthawk: a recurring thought that only seems to strike you late at night - an overdue task, a nagging guilt, a looming future - which you sometimes manage to forget for weeks, only to feel it land on your shoulder once again, quietly building a nest.

This becomes a normal cycle which quietly drains us of our energy and our sense of aliveness.

The problem

There are too many distractions. There's too much to do to stay one-step ahead. And there's not enough time in the day to get it all done. The demands of our time look like ambition on the outside, but feel like self-inflicted gut-punches on the inside, which often leads to ulcers and other health issues. We hustle because there's vulnerability in slowing down and we're afraid of what will happen if we stop.

The solution

Take a hike. A walk in the park. A jog through the trees. A seat by a creek. A stroll along a river. These are things most of us can do with little effort. I believe this is the antidote to our current age of distraction, information overload, and a need for hyper-efficiency.

Nature can offer the peace you've been missing for a long time.

Stillness feels unsafe and vulnerable, but when you slow down and take in the sights and sounds of nature, you lift the burden of busyness off your shoulders.

It's impossible to stand next to a large Juniper Tree, knowing where it grows and the seasons it's endured, and not feel some sense of astonishment. It's a case study in patience, resilience, strength and beauty.

The tree seems to be speaking to us, but what is it saying?

It's impossible to listen to the flow of a creek or river and not feel a sense of calm. The non-threatening natural white noise is a rhythmic sound that helps us focus and feel more present, which improves our mood and overall well-being.

The water seems to be speaking to us, but what is it saying?

The tree and the water could be telling us that maybe the soul flourishes in the unfinished places, the weak and broken places.

We think we need strength and courage to start... to advance... to pivot... to heal...to grow... to love again. But could it be that our soul is much like the Juniper Tree which doesn't wait for a perfect season to grow? Could our soul flourish exactly where things are unfinished, weak and broken?

Maybe we, with all our broken parts, are already enough just as we are. Maybe our soul is flourishing in the unfinished places.

Ernest Hemingway was right when he said, "The world breaks everyone and afterward many are strong at the broken places. But those that will not break it kills. It kills the very good and the very gentle and the very brave impartially. If you are none of these you can be sure it will kill you too but there will be no special hurry."

The next walk you take alone in nature, ask yourself these questions, and listen carefully to what the trees and water have to say:

"Ultimately, what matters to me?"

"What gets me excited?"

"What am I grateful for?"

"What can I do for others that's a plus in their lives?"

"How can I move more confidently into that deeper work?"

Wealth can buy statues and paintings, but no wealth can buy or build a tree, creek or river that adapts and evolves in response to their environment. Time, climate and location are the architects of these natural structures.

Nature can educate and inspire if we just slow down, ask the right questions... and pay attention.

Make the Nighthawk your friend.

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I’m Michael Kennedy, a resident of Olympic Valley, CA (in photo above). I’m a writer & photographer and I love exploring nature and getting lost along the way. We live in a world that demands our attention and I just want to say thank you for your attention. If you enjoyed this post, please share with a friend. For more photos and stories visit BlueWolfGallery.com.