Stepping Lightly

Parts 1 & 2:

Sweet life dwells here,
So beautifully made,
Precious miracles of time

Part 3:

Step lightly on this ground
This land will remember you

THANKS!

To Laurence Cole and Deanna Pumplin: We could not have written this song without you. Thank you for sharing your space, your time and your wisdom with us so generously!

To Katia Chistyakova for the beautiful cover image!

There is a special place in the Olympic Mountains where Laurence Cole and Deanna Pumplin bring their beloveds. It was mid-October 2018, and Paul and I were visiting these dear friends and mentors at their home in Port Townsend, Washington. When Laurence proposed a walk in the mountains on one particularly sunny day, I happily agreed to the burgeoning plan, not yet aware of the honour that was being bestowed upon us. With purpose, Paul and I gathered our trekking gear and hopped into the back of our friends’ little red car.

There had been some talk of the three of us (Laurence, Paul and me) co-writing a song during our visit. As we journeyed up into the mountains, Laurence and Deanna shared with us their stories of the local environment and I paid special attention to their words, waiting for the gem that would become a song. After quite some time and many stories, we found ourselves in a magical place where the sun was brighter and the air was clearer and crisper. I marveled at the ancient vegetation, colourful pieces of slate, and small patches of snow.

We made our way together for a while until we reached a steep valley, at the bottom of which was a glacial pool. Deanna responsibly decided that she did not want to make the trip down to the pool on this occasion. She encouraged the rest of us to carry on - she would watch us from the top of the valley. Before we parted, she warned: “Make sure Paul doesn’t step on the vegetation.” This made me chuckle. Paul is nimble and enjoys exploring uncharted territory. He cares very much about vegetation, so I knew Deanna was joking, but it was a helpful reminder nonetheless. Deanna’s words cued me to tune-in to the sacredness of the life all around me.

I remember spending quite some time in quiet reflection by the small stream of water that was navigating its way through the mountain vegetation, starting at the glacial pool and disappearing down the side of the mountain. I enjoyed its shimmering light and peaceful sounds. The highlight of my day by far was the moment when Laurence Cole, who had been enjoying a cold dip in the pool, returned to tell me that he had spotted a beetle that was “so beautifully made.” His wonder was infectious! Meanwhile, Paul was hopping on some rocks and humming a tune. The song was beginning to form…

Once reunited with Deanna, after I had done some singing in the wonderfully echo-y outhouse, and before saying our good-byes to the mountain, we made sure to capture a group photo. Paul and I were some of the lucky few to experience this special spot, and the moment needed to be remembered.

Later, on a walk into Port Townsend’s downtown, Paul taught me the melody that had come to him. In the process of learning the melody, I changed it, not necessarily on purpose, and the changes stuck. The words for the first parts came to me naturally over the course of a few hours, featuring Laurence’s precious exclamation of love for the beautiful beetle. The third part was again a collaboration - Paul had an idea for a melody, I brainstormed some words, and Paul made them fit.

Since its creation, this song has welcomed babies into the world and sealed wedding vows. In fact, a group of over 100 people sang this song at the wedding of Deanna and Laurence at Village Fire 2019. Though the song may have come through Paul and me, it is definitely a song we wrote with Laurence and Deanna. It is our wish that they are credited wherever this song is taught. May this tribute to the beauty and resilience of life on that mountain travel far and wide and inspire others to step lightly.

With care and courage,
Steph Drouin
~ November 2020