When we think about wandering, walking aimlessly can come to mind, but it's not the only acceptable way to wander in this particular context.

According to The Wander Society, we can also wander while sitting or in stillness by using our mind. By observing, being present, paying attention, and being open to the unknown, wandering while still is possible.

As I begin this wandering experiment, giving myself grace will be key. Easing into a wander is recommended as in the beginning it can feel forced or uncomfortable. I have a fairly strong background in hiking, walking, and meditation, but intentionality can easily be bypassed if our mind gets away from us. Mine normally does.

Using my senses can help draw me into the present. What do I smell, hear, see, feel, and so on. A grounding exercise I was taught to help manage my anxiety relies on my senses, so I have some practice in this area and can use it as a baseline to get started:

• 5: See - Identify five things you can see around you.
• 4: Touch - Name four things you can feel.
• 3: Hear - Listen for three distinct sounds.
• 2: Smell - Notice two things you can smell.
• 1: Taste - Focus on one thing you can taste. 

After my first venture into a wander, I am to "record it all." Whether that be writing, photos, videos, or otherwise. I plan to document those details here. Today, I got a little practice in:

​Outlining what a "portable research station" and my reflection on the first assignment of "Slow Wandering" will be in my next post!

I finally feel in a place to take this portion of the blog seriously. I'm tired of wasting away on my phone. Being fully present is beginning to feel increasingly difficult. I want to use my time in a more mindful way that allows me to add creativity and food for thought into the world.

​The "wandering" concept featured on this page has stuck with me since my initial post below in 2020. Today, I pulled The Wander Society book off the shelf and cracked it open. 

Adhesive page tags in hand, I flagged four specific sections of the book I'm challenging myself to engage with and share with you:

1. Read "The Wandering Precepts" weekly. There are ten in total, you can see them here.
2. Learn more about "The Nature of Wandering."
3. Review how to set out and begin doing "Assignments/Research/Field Work." Document outcomes of these activities.
4. Create a few or all Wander Society crafts such as making a badge or a belt pouch.

Wander along with me if you will. I truly hope my follow through is strong on this one. I feel that it's just what I need at this point in my life.

My head is always full of ideas. That's why I started my blog. It was a way for me to sort and share my thoughts, for myself as a diary of sorts, and for others if they were interested in reading. 

I've loved doing it. I'm not always as consistent as I'd like to be, but I don't like posts to be forced. I need to feel inspired. This is a hobby I want to enjoy. The only one holding me to a timeline or deadline is me. 

As the blog has grown, I feel that the topics I most regularly write about and feel most comfortable with have to do with internal dialogue I'm working out. Experiences I'm going through in real time. Thoughts I'm pondering. Ideals I'm uncovering to be pieces of my true nature. Things that a lot of people would find uncomfortable to share have turned out to be what I enjoy talking about most. This leads me to introduce this new page: Wandering Wren.

I recently purchased a new book called The Wander Society by Keri Smith. It immediately lit me up inside. Ideas started flooding into my head about how I could add more substance to my social media page and to the blog by exploring the concept of wandering. Adding more substance specifically to my social media posts is something I've been craving to do, but wasn't sure how to approach it without being "preachy." By exploring this concept starting from the beginning, I see a way to walk side-by-side with those who may want to do it right along with me. 

I read some of the book passages to Joel and told him it felt like I was reading my thoughts organized in a much better way than I could ever express. I felt connected to something bigger than me, the concept itself, and to others who live(d) in the world of the wanderer, including some of my thought leader heroes - Henry David Thoreau being at the top of that list. Yogis are my peeps - but I discovered that wanderers are, too. There is a lot of overlap in philosophies, so it makes total sense why both of these worlds seem fitting for me.

So here's what I'm thinking. I'm just beginning to read The Wander Society. As I work my way through, I plan to come here and share my thoughts (because I'm expecting fireworks of inspiring reflections to fire off throughout that I'll need to write down in order to process).

It will be a play-by-play book review combined with my experiences putting the principles into action. I feel moved to document the process because 1) I think there are others out there that might fall in love with this idea as I did - they just don't know about it yet; and 2) the book encourages wanderers to document their experiences to bring them into the moment as well as to allow them to reflect afterwards.

If you feel like going on this journey as well, I welcome you to wander with me. I'm very excited to have a structured exploration guidebook at my fingertips, and can't wait to see what unstructured ideas and ways of living it leads to.