I could start off by describing the day’s activities, challenges and route travelled to try to give you a glimpse of the vastness the Poisson Blanc reservoir has to offer, but instead I’d like to share with you what’ll be more difficult to recount once we’re back at home, through photos . . . an inside view of the shared experienced that is this extraordinary moment.
Sitting around the campfire this evening, we took a look back on the expedition. It was really touching to see the extent to which people are full of gratitude for this experience. The notion of quickly formed friendships, the feeling of belonging that sharing similar experiences with others can bring, the harmony and kindness that was palpable in our group, and the unforgettable element this unique experience brings through its power to pause time were expressed by the hearts of many.
This is precisely the magic Mother Nature gave us access to over the past three days. It’s as if she took away our egos, the pressures of time, our defense mechanisms, making us inherently alike, united through our humanity. Lacking the stimulation modern society usually imposes on us, we dedicated our time to the essentials this space had to offer us: getting to know each other, tasting the delicious food that was being served to us, listening to the sounds of nature like a calming lullaby, observing the different shades of green, the lichen, the different shapes of rocks, almost like a special artform provided to us by Mother Nature.
I felt like the participants were happy to spend time with other teens with similar life experiences to theirs, and that the feeling of belonging to a group helped them slowly get over the loneliness that can often take over during illness. Here, in Nature, it’s so much easier to see the human behind the illness, to make connections quickly, to be vulnerable. By taking all the unnecessary things away, we accelerate human connection.
And if you think about it, it wouldn’t take much to recreate this magical space in our day-to-day lives. We would just need to mindfully disconnect from social media, slow down, and return to a natural state of curiosity to see the beauty and the best in others around us. Adopting an active approach like this could probably enable us to get back in touch with ourselves and others in a society where the connections that are suggested to us take us away from the enriching and unifying experience of human connection.
Today, David’s challenge was to climb in and out of his canoe multiple times, despite his unsteadiness, and he succeeded brilliantly, surrounded by a great team! Elisabeth’s challenge was to speak up in the group and take her place while we played the Werewolf game, and she succeeded! Ludovic’s challenge was to better manage his energy level in the canoe to try to avoid being in too much pain after and, despite his rather competitive nature, he was indeed able to control his energy level better today! Julien and Loïs took a dip in the lake . . . I’ll let you judge how far they outdid themselves there! Holly succeeded in joining the sharing circle in the evening, despite her sensitive nature and being confronted with the emotions of others . . . she’ll learn as she grows older that what she considers a challenge and something that makes her different is in fact an amazing strength!
The evening’s last challenge was for everyone to fall asleep in rather chilly conditions in soggy tents from the night before, after spending a day half dry, half wet. But the weather outside can’t turn the group’s collective thermometer down!
I’m vert grateful for this adventure, which has enabled me to find the good and the beautiful in others again. I’m signing off with a heart full of gratitude, dreaming of our last day together tomorrow, which is bound to be full of emotions!
Amélie-Ann, Smile-maker
