Respite

"Am I not partly leaves and vegetable mould myself?" 

- Henry David Thoreau

Sometimes watching the spread of global consumeritis can be overwhelming. It can feel like there is no respite from onslaughts of bad news. The place I turn to for relief is nature.

When in natural areas I experience what naturalist John Muir wrote of the benefits of his forays into the wild, "worldly cares are cast out, and freedom and beauty and peace come in."

"We inter-breathe with the rain forests, we drink from the oceans.  They are part of our own body."

- Thich Nhat Hanh

How pleasant then to find an accessible forest bath worthy trail within walking distance of our new home outside of Digby, Nova Scotia.

My experience begins as soon as I open my front door. I turned our Welcome mat upside-down so that when I leave the house I am welcomed back into the great outdoors once again.

"Why thank you. It is good to return to your loving embrace. Take me away." And off I go.

"You didn't come into this world.  You came out of it, like a wave from the ocean.  

You are not a stranger here."

- Alan Watts

I usually take a small camera so I can record things I see along the way to share with Linda when I return home after an hour or so of sweet nature relief.

"i thank You God for most this amazing

day: for the leaping greenly spirits of trees

and a blue true dream of sky; and for everything

which is natural which is infinite which is yes" 

- e.e. cummings

This week I felt well enough to hike all the way to a small waterfall at the end of the trail. After a short session of tranquil sitting on a mossy rock and merging with my surroundings, I returned home feeling rejuvenated and ready.

How do I spell relief? N-A-T-U-R-E.

The respite I find in nature is what allows me to find the grit that will be required to save it so that future generations may find solace here as well.