Queen Anne’s Lace

Bees busily gathering pollen from Queen Anne’s Lace

White stars amid green grass fallen from grace

The shape of crows overhead

Flowers pink and berries red

Bathouses posted neatly in a row

Smooth rocks over which raging waters flow

Bees busily gathering pollen from Queen Anne’s Lace

White stars amid green grass fallen from grace

 

 

I spent a lot of time outside this past weekend.  It turns out it was exactly what I needed.

 

I used to go hiking every Sunday.  My father would call it “going to church”.  Most of the time I went alone, reveling in the tranquility of a quiet wood.  I would absorb the sights, smells, sounds and sensations of the mountainside, meadow brook or ocean shore.

 

This religious adherence to getting out has fallen by the wayside in the past few years.  Then I go out into the woods and I am reminded me why this has always been important to me.

 

There is a beauty in nature which can not be duplicated by man.  There is a wonder which only comes from discovery.  There is a stillness which can be found nowhere but the forest.  These are things which my soul craves.  Things life in a city, however small it may be, can not provide.

 

I realize how important it is to remain mindful of these needs.  They are so quiet and unobtrusive.  Therefore they are far too often overlooked.  It is up to me to keep them present and nurture them.

 

So I am embarking on a commitment to myself to stay aware of my needs.  To bring myself to the places which feed this part of me so often ignored.  To take care of my spirit and nurture my soul.