Fish ladders and Buddha nature

My dog Maggie needed a walk on Monday and so did I. Not just a quick half an hour along the bike path, but a long, rambling wander somewhere different, somewhere to honour the glorious gift of sunshine that autumn had given us, somewhere that would help shake out the cobwebs, feel a little wildish and somewhere within a short drive. So after school drop-off, Maggie and I headed to the Darebin Parklands. It's still in the depths of suburbia, but there's something a little wild about it. There is space and rocky outcrops overlooking the creek and if you wander far enough on a week-day morning, it is highly likely that you won't see another person for quite a while. For me, that was perfect - I needed a little bit of space externally and internally to help me find a way of overcoming some obstacles that were proving very stubborn.

As I walked, I tried not to think too much - I trusted that being in nature would lead me back to myself; to that part of myself that knows the answers to all the kooky questions that life throws at me. And just as I came towards a creek crossing - there it was. The answer...and it was so simple it made me stop. One step at a time, m'luv. Oh. I had been getting so overwhelmed by all that needed to be done and achieved that I had missed this simple truth. All I needed to do was to slow down, take a breath and do what needed to be done - one step at a time. 

The next thing that happened made me laugh out loud. I walked another couple of metres and came upon a big rock with a plaque on it. This is what it said:

There must have been some very strong 'one step at a time' energy floating around that spot. Maybe it was a Songline. Maybe the country was singing to me. Maybe so many people had contemplated 'one step at a time' in front of that plaque that it had infused into space around it. Or maybe it was my Buddha nature. My still place. Fortunately it had spoken strongly to me and I needed to listen. So Maggie and I followed the trail, crossed the creek at the fish ladder and climbed to higher ground.