The New Grace Trail featuring Anne Jolles 

The Navarino Nature Center is the newest location for a Shawano Pathways Grace Trail. Join Jaime as she hosts the founder of the Grace Trail Anne Jolles from Massachusetts. They will tour the trail and discuss some of her founding concepts on what makes our trail unique.

Shawano Pathways Website: www.shawanopathways.org

Grace Trail Official Website: https://gracetrail.com

Other Pathways Stories

Transcript

– Good afternoon and
welcome to Shawano News,

your positive source in a crazy world.

I’m your host, Jamie Lee.

Today we’re here with Anne
Jolles, the inventor and creator

of the Grace Trail here
in Navarino Nature Center

to tell us about the latest
addition to the trail.

(upbeat music)

I have the pleasure of
walking the Grace Trail

with the inventor herself.

And thank you for coming
all the way from Boston.

– Yes, yes, it’s my pleasure.

I couldn’t help, but be here

because this trail is
an amazing innovation

and creative expression.

As you can see of Grace Trail

and teams of people were involved

in really custom tailoring
this to meet the needs

of this community and
hopefully the world, you know

it’s one small step farther into,

you know Grace Trail spreading
out and helping people

especially now recovering
from COVID, you know.

– Let’s take a little
walk and tell me more

about the back history and
the future of the trail.

– Sounds great.

– Let’s go.

We are now seated at another
stop on the Grace Trail.

Tonight you’re gonna be
doing the ribbon cutting.

– Yeah.
– Here in Navarino.

– Yep.

– To officially dedicate
and open this trail.

Can you tell us about how other cities

and other towns can have a
Grace Trail where they live?

– Yeah, yeah. I’d be happy to.

So the nice thing is, even
though this all started

in my kitchen, you know, 22 years ago,

I never had a plan then like, oh,

we’ll be going cross country with this.

But what’s happened is, you know, people,

the trails we have like

between five and seven
licensed trails right now

and we’re licensing it
to protect, you know

with trademarks and things like that.

So that people don’t just take it

and you know it just evolves willy-nilly

and then it’s no longer
the essence of Grace Trail.

So we’ve worked with
unbelievable licensees

who are so respectful.

And what we try to do is
tailor it to their needs,

their intention and their communities.

So that’s why this beautiful
Navarino Grace Trail

has this beautiful
expression with a boulder.

And even though I’m from
Plymouth, Massachusetts,

it’s not Plymouth rock, right.

(laughs)
This is a Navarino rock.

– So how long is a trail
usually, the Grace Trail?

– It really depends.

It really depends on the location,

what people can put in their intention.

And it’s really not the
length that’s important.

It’s really,

you know where it is and
who’s committed to it.

And so they’re everywhere

from very very small

to, you know, I think
the longest is a mile

to a mile and a half right now.

– And like you said, it’s
mostly about the experience.

– Oh, it’s all about the experience.

– The experience.

– It’s all about just like what you

and I are doing right now is just like,

you know, out here walking and-

– Having the time to connect

and actually talk away-
– Absolutely.

from the phones, away from-

– Absolutely.

– And you can do the
Grace Trail by yourself.

– Yeah.

– But how special it is to
actually do it with a loved one

or maybe a child or a spouse,
because you can get support.

– No question.

– And feedback.
– Yep.

– And grow together.
– That’s right.

That’s exactly right.

And, but it takes permission

’cause people aren’t always as comfortable

as you are asking and
answering and being vulnerable.

It’s a risk to be honest, right.

So I always say to people, you can pass.

If you’re not ready to
answer the question,

just pass and go on to the
next one until you’re ready.

So it’s not like you’re exposing someone

who doesn’t wanna talk
or doesn’t wanna think.

They need to be given permission
to walk their own trail.

And it might be a different direction.

It might be a different pace than you.

And when you’re with them,

you can just design it for what works.

– And that’s a beautiful sentiment to say

that we are on our own paths.

– Right.

– So we shouldn’t judge
each other where we’re at.

– No.

– And we’re all gonna
take different paths.

– That’s right.

– But they all go in the same direction.

– Right, well they go-

– To love and back to who we are-

– That’s right.

– And to our, you know our hearts.

– That’s right, right.

That’s exactly right.

And I like to say to people, you know,

you walk the Grace Trail

with no judgment, no criticism, no advice.

Just get out there and
walk beside someone,

listen to the what a gift.

When does someone actually listen to you?

And when are you able to
say what’s on your mind

and in your heart.

– To be a witness.

– Yeah.

– To be a witness with no judgment.

– That’s-

– I can feel your love.

I’m so glad we met.

(upbeat music)

Well, it was a lovely day.

Hearing your story and
your vision for the future.

– Thank you.

– For a full listing of all the projects

and all the Grace Trails
around the nation,

make sure to visit the
website for future projects.

All the places are located as well.

– And they’re all on gracetrail.com.

– And for anybody else that again,

can you tell us what Grace
Trail, the letters stand for?

– Yes. So grace is G is gratitude,

R is release, A is accept, C
is challenge and E is embrace.

– I’m so grateful that I met
a new friend in you today.

– Thank you. I am too.

– And good luck for the Grace Trail

and all the healing work you’re doing

here in Shawano and throughout the nation.

– Thank you darling.

Give you a hug.

– This is Jamie Lee and Anne,
signing off for Shawano News.

Keep living and loving in the 54166.

(upbeat music)