In less than two weeks the women of D&T Grrrl! will board for their journey to Santa Rosa Island off the coast of Ventura.

There is evidence of human habitation on the island going back some 13,000 years. The indigenous Chumash called her Wima. It means “driftwood” and it is believed that the island Chumash would collect the driftwood washed up along Wima’s shores to build their plank canoes, or tomols. Once completed, they would paddle the 26 miles to the shore to trade with their coastal brethren.

No matter how idyllic, not everything you need will ever be found in one place. To venture out is necessary. And as a Muslim, it is an intrinsic part of my faith’s historical legacy.

The earliest Muslims were challenged to leave their cherished homes, first for Abyssinia and later, for Medina. The proximate reason was local oppression, but there is much more to be taken from this chapter of early Islamic history.

It’s worth considering the nature of attachment. What is familiar is not always what is in our best interests. In choosing a life of devotion to God, these early believers were forced to reconcile their attachments to friends, family, and even the region they called home. All of these sources of support and comfort were revealed over the course of time to be illusions.

The only attachment worth nurturing, these believers came to understand, was their attachment to God, the Ever-Living whose Reality is outside of time and location.

With that awareness, we rove freely upon the earth in pursuit of what is necessary and in alignment with the prophetic teaching, “Be in this world as a traveler.”

In late October of 2020 the call went out: we leave for Wima in March. Which of our women shall join us?

Fifteen of you answered. We all have our reasons for making our choices, but it was this response that I believe affirmed the essential nature of an opportunity like this:

I recently passed a board exam that concluded a series of board exams spanning over several years and I really wanted to treat myself with something. I thought long and hard for several days at what I could get/do for myself that would truly be something I’d cherish. I thought about designer bags, or shoes, and other material things that often catch my eye, but when I listened to my heart none of those things were worth it. I was casually scrolling through my Instagram feed and saw the post for this trip and I just knew. I’ve done quite a bit of hiking, but I’ve never gone camping like this before. Just the thought of getting away from the modern world and camping with other Muslim women that I know nothing about was exciting.

How many illusions are being shattered here? There is the recognition of the material as ephemeral and our experiences as permanent. From the perspective of eternity, what we possess means nothing. What we do and have done is everything, and we are witness to that awakening in her statement, “I just knew.“

But she goes further. She is not interested in remaining in the familiar embrace of those with whom she has a shared history and perhaps some level of emotional attachment. Those are important connections, but they are not the links that matter to her in this moment of her transition.

She wants to experience the company of those women with whom she shares nothing but faith.

And while I can’t speak for her, her sentiments speak directly to me. She is in the middle of momentous change and it makes absolute sense that in such a moment we would reach out for a constant. There is no greater constant than God, the Ever-Abiding, and what better way to approach our Creator than through mutual adoration?

When the call went out, the women who responded were overtaken by that part of themselves that needed this adventure. As our time on the island draws closer, we will undoubtedly feel the pull of our more practical, grounded selves. To leave our responsibilities, our families, our jobs, and our projects is for other people, women without obligations.

And in this way, little by little, our essential self is eroded to the point of no longer being recognizable. We become only the accumulation of duty.

Spending three days and two nights on Santa Rosa Island is neither a distraction nor a dereliction of duty. Tragically, others will conspire along with our doubting selves to convince us otherwise. It isn’t safe. It’s too far. We aren’t experienced enough. We don’t know the other people. We lack the requisite fitness. We are needed elsewhere.

Stay resolute.

For on that island, in that wild place and in the company of other women linked by nothing more than faith you will find everything you need to return to your duties invigorated, emboldened, and with greater passion than ever before.

So far from everything known and familiar you will see yourself as yourself, a thing so esteemed and honored that it warranted God’s creation. And you will bring the refreshed awareness of your intrinsic value and marvelous potential back home.

We’ll all be better for it.

Wishing the women of D&T Grrrl! safe travels and a blessed adventure!

---

Leave a comment below for posterity or join us in the D&T Chautaqua Discord to discuss this post with other adventurous spirits from around the world.