Lisa Rose Bauer

Flow is being completely involved in an activity for its own sake. The ego falls away. Time flies. Every action, movement, and thought follows inevitably from the previous one…

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, was the pioneering co-founder of the field of positive psychology, and the first to identify and research flow. (1934-2021).

Our minds are in constant motion jaggedly moving in the opposing directions of past and future. Such forward and backward journeying dims the present, the place called here. Now. This moment.

Reading and exploring the flow state helped me to strengthen my understanding of this positive approach to existing. A sense of flow derives from deep concentration and focus on a singular task. Singular. Not multi. Sometimes the task or challenge is far outside of the comfort boundary. Something never before attempted.

In repurposing/repainting furniture, listening to audiobooks and creating outdoor garden spaces, flow and I have partnered. A sense of peace is the residual of partaking in this trifecta. There’s never a guarantee that flow will be achieved and that the mind will stay present with the singular activity at hand. One thing, one step at a time — incredibly challenging. Personally. Professionally. Culturally.

The July day started with the kind of hope and energy that being away in a unique place, off the grid and routine offers. Flow was not on the agenda or the goal. Never did I expect that two separate scenarios in Grand Teton National Park would provide a sense of flow within hours of each other rendering a deep state of calm and balance. Of peace.

On a hike on the Rock Spring Trail of the Tetons, bear spray armed (which, truthfully, hardly felt enough if faced with a Grizzly), one missing marker landed us on the Cirque Trail presenting a much higher degree of difficulty. Turn back? Go forward? Studying the terrain in search of clues my hiking team decided based on light and heat and energy to move forward. Forward and up. Way up.

The view up did not resemble any type of hike I had ever done. But upward it was, truly beyond my usual hiking comfort zone. Ascension was extremely slow just to stay surefooted. My recent reconciliation with heights was rewarded. While the physical action of my climb was my own to manage, two forces, one internal and one external, shepherded me upwards traversing a dozen dusty and wild switchbacks.

Keep going. You can do this. I’m with you. The words were clear. Sharp. Certain. When my breathing and heart rate increased I honed in on the familiar voice. Breathe. Focus. You are not alone. The climb up was everything. The only thing. No thought of the date on the calendar. The time on the clock. Of goals. Of worries. Of yesterday. Of tomorrow. Only up and safe. Grab a rock move an inch.

Look at the red paint. The markers. Don’t look down or out. My sister-in-law Jo, was my external force. She offered me an approach to the top by reminding me where to focus. And reminding me to breathe as we continued upwards into lighter air making the head feel floaty without focus. When we reached the summit in full exhaustion, a flash of a midwife came across my thoughts. Of teamwork among women. Of purpose.

Of the 1,000 miles of the Snake River, 50 of the them run through Grand Teton National Park. We boarded our raft for a late afternoon 14-mile journey while the sun was still hot and high. The steady breeze, the brilliant blue sky, and the 360-degrees of mountains served a rejuvenating lullaby. Bald eagles welcomed us. Dwellings of beaver, elk and bears abound. A landscape bursting with Aspens and Cottonwoods and wildflowers. Quiet.

In the later evening hours my mind and body buzzed in harmony from both the physical and mental excursion and the subsequent relaxation. Filled with peace and gratitude, I offered thanks to the Great Spirit, so present in this sacred space for the day’s offerings and for providing me with a state of flow never to be forgotten. Flow is elusive— may it find you and may you recognize its arrival.

Written within the borders of Montana and Wyoming, July 2023 at Glacier, Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks.

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