Greenway to Renewal

I'm your quintessential introvert. In addition to that, my personality type is one that caters to things like psychology, art therapy, and purpose-driven work. So generally, most things I undertake are more than what they seem. They are pathways to deeper meaning, emotional healing, and spiritual renewal. (This doesn't make me weird, it makes me infinitely interesting.)

Take my recent bike rides down the Suwannee Greenway (five times in two weeks!). Yes, it's exercise. Yes, it's a new hobby and brings with it the drive to learn and become proficient at something that until recently I knew little about. But if it were just that, it would quickly become a dull shade of weathered army green. More than a hobby and exercise, it is a bright green renewing pathway--a chance for me to listen to God, work out my never-ending issues, and improve my mental health. Greenway therapy is not something that's black and white, something that I can just put my finger on and say "X accomplishes Y," yet I know it's helpful. After all, green is the color of growth, right?

Something else I'm re-immersing myself in is maintaining my painted journal. I started this journal a year ago, through a non-profit organization called Journey Daybook which my stepmother, Anne, introduced me to. It's an opportunity to capture visual and poetic images, and to track life's journey in a poignant way that for me is decidedly different than what I do with my handwritten journal.

Here's an example of a painted journal page to give you an idea of how cool it can be. No, goodness no, this isn’t mine. I'm far too intimidated to share mine which looks more like something done by a fourth grader.

This is a page by artist and Journey Daybook founder Peggy Herrick, painted last year on a Cedar Key cruise chartered specifically for the purpose of journal painting. I went on that cruise as my first introduction to watercolors and painted journals. To be on the water, in the sunlight, with a pencil and a paintbrush was exhilarating, even though I didn't have a clue what I was doing.

Over the last year, I've gotten out my painted journal here and there, a few times every couple months, to capture images that resonated with me, either real or imagined. But now it's been a while and I need to get back in the groove.

Next week I'm embarking on the second annual Journey Daybook cruise on the Princess Annie (named after Captain Doug’s adorable granddaughter) in the waters surrounding Cedar Key. This year, instead of spending all our time on the water, we'll travel to two small islands, Atsena Otie and Seahorse Key, where we'll disembark to paint the islands' notables.

Atsena Otie, the island closest to Cedar Key, used to be inhabited, but a tsunami washed it out in 1896, and everybody who survived moved to the main island. We’ll be visiting the remains of a cemetery back in the woods—something I’ve always wanted to see. It’ll be like our own little adventure into the past.

Seahorse Key is another nearby island I’ve never visited, primarily because it doesn’t allow visitors most of the year. (Now I’m sounding like The Island has a mind of its own. Maybe I’m mentally gearing up for the 5th season of LOST.) Seahorse Key is a bird sanctuary and if there’s one thing Cedar Key is protective of, it’s marine wildlife. On our visit to the island, we’ll get to sketch the island’s only landmark, an historic lighthouse.

If you can’t tell, I’m kind of stoked about these therapeutic experiences that are entering my life. Not only am I now Cycling Girl, soon I'll also be Artist Girl, Adventure Girl, Wildlife Girl, and general all-around Island Girl. What could be more therapeutic (and “green”) than that?