Practicing Equanimity on Isle Royale

Driving home after my seaplane flight back from a six-day solo backpacking adventure on Isle Royale—a rugged wilderness in the middle of Lake Superior—I found myself reflecting on six days of beauty, challenge, and a surprisingly practical lesson in equanimity.

Did I love it? Absolutely. Would I change anything? Not at all. Was the beauty everything I expected? Even more so.

And yet, the greatest gift of the trip wasn’t just the landscapes, wildlife, or solitude. It was the chance to practice equanimity—staying balanced and at peace no matter what arises.

Moments of Serenity

There were times when everything felt perfect: a still sunrise over Lake Superior, the haunting call of loons, the quiet of a secluded trail. In those moments, peace felt natural and effortless.

But then came interruptions. Voices carried across the campground or along the path—sometimes loud, sometimes constant. My first impulse was irritation: Why are they disturbing my solitude? But that thought alone was enough to pull me out of the moment.

A Shift in Perspective

Then I caught myself. The voices weren’t “ruining” anything. They were simply there, no different than the wind moving through the trees or the steady rhythm of waves on the shore.

I couldn’t control whether people talked, just as I couldn’t control the weather. What I could control was my response—where I placed my attention.

Would I focus on irritation, or return to the beauty in front of me: the vast lake, the sun-warmed rock beneath me, and the deeper silence that still held it all?

Sound Waves and Choice

In reality, those voices were nothing more than sound waves striking my eardrums. The meaning was mine to assign. Positive, negative, or neutral—it was always my choice.

That became the practice: letting things be as they are. Not fighting against reality, not wishing it were different, but meeting each moment as it is.

Peace, I realized, isn’t about controlling the world. It’s about learning to meet the world with presence, patience, and compassion.

The Takeaway

I came home with sore feet, a grateful heart, and a clearer understanding that serenity doesn’t depend on silence. It depends on awareness.

Things are as they are in this moment. The freedom is in how we choose to respond.

Have you ever found that the real lesson of an experience wasn’t what you expected?

#AwakeningWithDon #MindfulnessInRecovery #Equanimity #RecoveryJourney #PeaceWithin