We traveled on asphalt to AIR-EAU-BOIS. We changed the element to make the fire glow in our indoor wood stove and reground our boots on Earth. From the black highway edge to White Fish reservoir shore. From noisy vehicles to swaying waves and wind. From ordinary to novelty; usual to extraordinary; strangers to new encounters. Today, the 2022 Escape Expedition takes off, embracing the colors of autumn and sampling the sweet flavors of freedom.
In the morning, we “Hit the road, Jack!”: To make sure we reconnected expressly with our childlike hearts, we rode a yellow bus to the Outaouais. “Squick squick, squik,” the suspensions shrieked. Can’t wait for the sweet song of the birds.
From the bus bench to that of the restaurant for lunch, quickly, we learn fragments of the escapees’ lives: what they are or were, what they aspire to return to, or not—an ex-young nurse with a newfound passion for golf, a former 911 dispatcher, two education students, a college student who dreams of a trip out west with his dear old friend, someone who served in the army, one who helps kids with their homework, a former figure skater, several who loves children, another who loves to draw… They are multiple, full, and beautiful; they are not seeking to be larger than nature, but just to be part of it and to find balance, literally and figuratively. There are 6 of them, but they seem like 20, with a thick, whipped cream-like richness.
Four days passes quickly: in the afternoon we went down to the lake. The idea was to feel the wind a little and to slowly tame our big canoes for the expedition, the rabaskas. “Ha! Nature,” says Gabriel spontaneously, smiling. The main thing is there indeed, dear. As a Mario the wise man would say, “Nature and adventure bring out the good and the beautiful in the world.” I feel that there is a huge amount of good and beautiful concentrated in this group, it is already obvious.
In the evening, we talk: Why are you here? Why did you reach out to the Foundation? Let me summarize: “I needed an experience that reminds me that there is a meaningful life ahead of me”; “I want to get to know myself now, who I am today; after this diagnosis.” “I want to reconnect my body and mind so that they can find peace and harmony, and together we can work towards my remission.” “I have suffered a lot from loneliness with Covid and the disease; I hope to meet people who will really, truly understand me”; etc. At times, words were missing as so many ideas were running through our heads and emotions were running through our bodies. The cheeks were wet tonight.
Families and friends, rest easy knowing that everything is looking good here for a memorable stay. The bonds are slowly being forged between the escapees: Gab, Mady, Érika, Stéphanie, Maude, and Maude. We feel their hearts are wide open to air, water, fire, and earth. Braving the limits of their comfort zones, each of them at their own pace will tame the others, themselves, the environment, and the adventure; each one will eventually be in their element.
Marie-Hélène Beaudry
Blogger-Photograph for the On the Tip of the Toes Foundation