litter in narnia

While visiting Northern Ireland recently, I had the pleasure of walking through the forest that is said to have inspired C.S. Lewis in his writings of Narnia (The Old Inn, Crawfordsburn). Yes, it was beautiful, “...every rock and flower and blade of grass looked as if it meant more,” (excerpt from The Chronicles of Narnia).

In truth, it was not a magical world of fiction; it was a land just as flawed as anywhere else we humans leave our trail of litter. On my venture, I collected and disposed of what I could reach. If I had the proper gear and equipment while on this trip, I would have gone deeper into the glen and hard-to-reach spaces. I wasn’t there specifically to obLITTERate, I was there to contemplate (attending a philosophical/theological retreat hosted by Peter Rollins, SPARK, where I found myself exploring nothing, challenging the “tyranny of certainty”, and sharpening my voice). And yet, I’m always contemplating while obLITTERating, thinking and feeling.

There certainly is no lack of litter, but even a wee bit of litter is still too much, and I was honored to amend; I was grateful to be on this great island. The forest truly was magnificent. I was greeted by magpies, ravens, and European robins. The nearby North Channel was a welcoming shore and I was a lucky one to experience those great waters - cold as they greeted me, euphoric as they held me.

Litter aside, getting to be in Ireland was indeed a life-changing adventure. I fell in love with the place and the people I met along the way.