Tents, Music and Spirituality

"Since the 19th century spirituality is often separated from religion, and has become more oriented on subjective experience and psychological growth. It may refer to almost any kind of meaningful activity or blissful experience, but without a single, widely-agreed definition." ~Wikipedia

Meeting with the chaplain at a beautiful private college in upper New York State this week, our conversation turned from the cappuccino and breakfast scones we were enjoying to a discussion of the definition of the word, "spirituality".

Neither of us could come up with a textbook definition for, as we delved further into the subject, we recognized that spirituality falls into so many categories we were not quite sure how to sum it up in just a few words.

People experience spiritual events while being creative, during meditation, as we perform a repetitive motion, while in prayer in a traditional place of worship or in a beautiful outdoor setting. What the chaplain and I did agree upon, however, is that, as defined by Wikipedia above, a spiritual experience is one that adds to our subjective experience and psychological growth. A spiritual experience is one that occurs during a meaningful activity and creates in us a state of bliss.

All of which brings me to the spiritual experience I enjoyed several hours after my breakfast date with the chaplain; that evening at the campground where my husband, Joe, and I were staying for the evening.

You see, Joe is a cyclist and he was participating in a weeklong bike ride around the Finger Lakes during the day and camping out with the other cyclists at night. I had come along for the opportunity to visit this most beautiful are of the state and enjoy life in a tent for six nights.

So, there we were, fresh from our showers (taken in a shower truck), relaxing in our little folding chairs in front of our tent, surrounded by five hundred other campers as we were being entertained by a singer/guitarist who was talented, entertaining and totally endearing.

As I sat there, taking in this scene – one out of a movie set rather than my everyday life – I felt uplifted; uplifted by the camaraderie of this group of strangers who came together with a love of adventure; all of us singing and swinging to the music; all of us sitting under a spectacular (albeit very hot) cloudless evening sky; all of us silently taking in this most "spiritual" moment in our lives.

Did anyone else attach the word "spiritual" to that which we were all experiencing together? Or was it just I? Many would not consider this to be a spiritual event – but, truly, I was in such a state of bliss as I took in this marvelous scene – I cannot call it anything else but spiritual.

Our lives are filled with such experiences, yet all too often we rush through them, running to the next event down the road. It is up to us to stop, take in the "now" before rushing off to the "next" and relish every spiritual moment that comes our way.

R
Submitted by Ridgefield, CT

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