Our third day begins with a yoga session led by Charles-Antoine. In the sun, on the sand, in silence, it’s truly appreciated by all. Once on the water, Anoushka asks if she can sing us a song she’s composed herself. We bring the two canoes together to listen to it as a group. Emotions inevitably run high. Her words, her story, her voice full of truth and experience . . .
A little further on, Hari suggests we take a moment to stop and dip our hands in the water to feel how fresh and pure it is. It’s hard to express how good it feels for both the soul and the spirit to just take the time to live on nature’s clock.
We take advantage of a slightly longer lunch break to form a discussion circle. Julien asks us all to pick up a rock on the shore and bring it with us for the discussion circle. He then reminds the participants of everything they’ve been through since the start of the expedition, and that one of our greatest wishes remains that they all feel safe and free to express themselves at any time.
The stage is set for a popcorn-style discussion in which participants are invited to join in if they wish. They are invited to share a meaningful moment from their cancer experience. Once again, the moment is beautiful, caring, liberating. Everyone listens attentively.
We end the discussion by taking a moment to let it all sink in, and then go to the shore to throw our rocks into the water. Symbolically, we free ourselves from the traumas of the past.
The second part of the day on the water is just as beautiful as the first. The crews on both boats are singing now. We’re in jukebox mode!
Once we reach our last campsite after another 10 km, we set up our tents and make ourselves comfortable for one last night in the woods. Our bellies are once again filled with a delicious supper served by our hosts at Café chez Serge.
As the sun goes down, we gather around the fire for a final discussion circle. Over the past few days, we’ve touched on a number of Foundation expedition traditions, including the Foundation anthem, waking up to the sounds of Catherine and Julien’s ukuleles, mindfulness moments, discussion circles, and now it’s time to close the expedition by sharing a word to sum up our expedition experience. We speak of hope, of a big family, of inspiration, of lightness, of a spirit of togetherness, of liberating moments, of strength, of authenticity, of fire, of gentleness, of smiles, of gratitude, of kindness, of sweetness.
The verdict is in: all together, we form a beautiful big family that’s both very strong and very special! We seal it all with one last Foundation tradition: the rope. Gathered around the fire, we form a large circle. Julien passes us all a piece of rope—uniting us all. We take a moment to close our eyes and share a moment of silence. Each of us, in his or her own way, integrates the memories that marked our journey. The tradition is that each person leaves with a piece of this rope, which now has a life of its own.
Tomorrow is our last day together, and a touch of nostalgia can already be felt around the campfire. We quietly make our way to our tents for one last night under the stars . . .
See you tomorrow 🌔 ✨
Laurence Yelle, Volunteer photographer-blogger for the On the Tip of the Toes Foundation