Moments Out of Time: A family canoes the north woods

This nature essay recounts the author's 10-day canoe trip with her blended family through Algonquin Provincial Park in Canada. Within the narrative, she explores the ways in which a young child's spirituality ('relational consciousness') influence her own adult consciousness. Conversations with her 6-year-old son lead to her to develop the metaphor of radio frequencies to reflect upon the differences between children's and adults' attitudes toward time: solar time; here-and-now time; the human life cycle; historical time; memory time; industrial time; infinity time. In addition to these conversations, the author draws upon several social critics, nature writers, and others. Other themes touched upon include contemplation, the sense of wonder, bodily knowing, the deep self, and time management. The essay closes with the author reflecting on the need to reclaim time in ways that nurture the natural spirituality of childhood.