Lessons from the woods- the search for wild garlic.

This Saturday after a few hours work, I decided to stop in an ancient woodland to gather some wild garlic. To me one of the joys of each season is the new foraging opportunities. Spring especially offers the chance for some fresh greens after the somewhat slim pickings of winter. Many of the plants in spring are also good for the bodies system which is in need of a detox and boost following winter.

I had spent a fair amount of time wandering this ancient woodland around the same time frame last year and was sure I knew precisely where I was going to find the wild garlic which was my intention and fixation for the visit to the woods.

It all started pretty well and I was certain I was on the right track to get to the patch, gather a bags worth to flavour the evenings risotto and then be merrily on my way. Folks might be familiar with the phrase “best laid plans of mice and men” or maybe “how do you make the gods laugh? tell them your plans” well this was certainly true of my plans.

First track I took I was certain was the correct one, nope, however it was a lovely saunter through the woods in the afternoon sunshine, the hazel has its catkins out, the birch is just beginning to bud and the birds were signing happily. It was pleasant enough to be out and enjoying the woods, however I still had the desire for the wild garlic, this added a bit of a motivator to the walk.

Continuing the circuitous rambling walk I passed along a footpath on the edge of the woods, on one side majestic oak, holly bushes, ash, the other fences moving from just wire fences to wooden barriers preventing the houses from seeing the woods, clear boundaries disconnecting the woods from the “civilised” world. I knew which side of the fence I was happy to be on.

Moving forward with the search for the elusive wild garlic path I carried on my way, passing through a small patch of daffodils , however I was too preoccupied to really stop and appreciate them. The Goal had become a fixation.

I strolled up a slope and came to a birch tree which had fallen, becoming a dining table for the more than human inhabitants of the woodland. I took the time to stop, take the weight of my pack off my back, drink some time and reminded myself to be fully present in the moment, slipping into the listening exercises I have detailed in my nature reconnection eBook. Immediately after this I took the message I should have been paying mind to, took a few deep breaths and brought myself into the moment. I recognised the frustration I was feeling from not being able to find the wild garlic patch, took the lesson from the wilderness mirror which was that I should be appreciating the woods not fixating on a goal, slipped my pack back on and went along my way.

With my attention back on just appreciating the woods the walk became far more enjoyable, I wasn’t crashing along the path but moving comfortably and contentedly in the woodland realm.

By letting go of my expectations and intentions I was able to fully appreciate the moment. Bask in the sunshine, feel the soft ground beneath my boots, hear the leaves from last Autumn crunch under my feet and in general be in the woods in the moment without an enforced intention.

I moved back to the car, content that although I had been unsuccessful in my quest, I was coming away from the time in the woods recentred and with the powerful lesson that as always the woods and nature would give me what I needed at the time rather than what I believed I wanted.

It got me thinking quite often we find ourselves striving for something “more” or external, more money, more belongings, a goal, a target or a marker to define a success or call something a win. Sometimes this is good, we need that goal to strive for to push us forward, to encourage our commitment, to push us to work harder. However if we are relentlessly always pushing forward, bulldozing through everything and crashing along the path we are likely to miss the joyful, connected moments in our day to day life, too busy focussing on the goal we miss the warmth of the sunshine following winter, the beauty of a patch of daffodils or the cry of the red kite as it flies over head. We need a balance, between the movement forward and the appreciation of where we find ourselves at this exact moment. We frequently put off the present for some intangible not promised future. Whilst we must of course plan with one eye on the future we cannot let all our attention be on the future, missing the moment we are in right now because at one point this moment right now is the future we had once been planning for!

As I got closer to where I had parked my car I saw one trail I had not taken and decided to risk a short diversion to see what was down there, fully in the moment and with no desire, I am most certainly pleased that I did as I came across the exact wild garlic patch I had been searching for the entire wandering! After expressing my gratitude, sharing some of the flask of tea I carried with me and generally feeling rather pleased I had found the spot after all, I foraged up just sufficient to make the evenings risotto a little wilder.

As I wandered back to my parked car, mildly rejoicing at the unexpected success of the search, especially after giving up the intention I realised the woods had given me another lesson, sometimes we need to let go of our goal or our wants to actually achieve them. By fixating on them we can sabotage our own efforts, stealing our joy by missing all the parts of the journey.

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