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Dances with the Daffodils

In California, home to many an experimental idea, the latest new trend is to hire what's called a people walker. According to a national newspaper, entrepreneur Chuck McCarthy, has boosted his income by starting a business offering himself as a walking companion for city strolls, and has found a huge appetite for accompanied walking. We might think LA's heavy traffic makes it unfriendly to pedestrians, but Chuck McCarthy has found plenty of other reasons why hiring a people walker is taking off in Los Angeles and other cities too.

In his encounters with those who seek his services, Chuck has discovered that many of his customers are engaging with their peers almost exclusively on their phones and computers, often leaving little opportunity for face-to-face interactions, and hence, their need to hire someone to go for a walk with. Apparently many of his customers don't go for a stroll simply because they don't like being alone.

Being alone wasn't always seen purely as a negative thing. Poets such as William Wordsworth perceived solitude, not as loneliness, but as a time for engaging with and with one's

for oft, when on my couch I lie in vacant or in pensive mood, they flash upon that inward eye which is the bliss of solitude. And then my heart with pleasure fills, and dances with the daffodils.

No one wants to be alone all of the time, and here at the Campus there are plenty of opportunities to involve ourselves in a rich array of activities, but perhaps it is important for us to reserve some time to be alone, and to use that solitude to good effect.  Christianity has long recognized the merits of retreating from the cares of the world. As the word suggests, a purposeful retreat is a prayerful withdrawing from the world, a time to step back and reflect with God, often in silence. Christ himself spent 40 days in the desert in solitude, where, Luke's tells us, in the midst of that solitude came temptation. Perhaps this strikes a chord with those who fear solitude, thinking it will mean wrestling with their own demons. But as Christ's days in the wilderness show, time alone can be a source of , growth and peace. Perhaps a little stroll on our own, or a few quiet minutes at home isn't such a bad thing after all.

Take advantage of Active Aging Week to combine that stroll with contemplation and prayer!  A walking prayer labyrinth will be set up in the Center on Wed. Sept 28th from 9:00-11:00AM. *

Author Info: Andrew Moore
Chaplain Andrew is the Associate Chaplain here at the Campus. Before relocating to Arizona in 2014, Andrew lived and studied in the Kingdom. Andrew was ordained in the Anglican Church and has worked in a variety of parishes.

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