This reflection grew out of the first episode in a new series I’ve started called The Living World. In these episodes, I step in front of the camera and spend time out on the land, noticing what is happening in real time. You can watch the full afternoon along Piney Creek above ⬆️.
Over the last few weeks, I kept noticing turtles out on Piney Creek even when the air temperature was hovering in the high thirties. I was cold, and the wind was cutting across my face. Still they we surfacing, and floating in the sun.
At first, it was simple curiosity. Why were they out on a day like that, and what was happening beneath the surface that I couldn’t see?
The longer I stayed, the more I realized I had assumed something that wasn’t true. I thought winter meant the turtles disappeared. It doesn’t. I began to realize the creek was holding more warmth than I had expected, and the turtles were simply responding to it, rising into the sunlight when it was there, climbing onto logs, settling back down when they needed to.
Nothing dramatic.
Just life unfolding.
A quiet process that keeps moving whether I’m paying attention or not.
And what stayed with me was how quickly I can mistake stillness for emptiness. How easily it is to be somewhere without ever really arriving.
The turtles weren’t performing. They weren’t proving anything. They were simply responding to the world around them.
The only reason I saw it is because I stopped.
There is something grounding about that. Something that brings me back into my body and back into a closer relationship with the world around me instead of just passing through it.
That afternoon the creek was moving, the turtles were surfacing, and the beaver passed through without apology.
And for a few minutes, I was able to arrive.
Keith Rowe is a breathworker, teacher, and founder of Vital Healing, a nonprofit that helps people reconnect with the wisdom of their heart through through breathwork, inner exploration, and walking meditation.
He is co-creator of the upcoming Walking Pilgrim app, a 33-day journey of mindful walking and presence. Sign up to receive updates for when it is released at walkingpilgrim.com.