Nature...

A walk by the pond, a walk in nature can do so much good to one's soul.  This mother's day I wanted to be by nature.  Yes i do live in the suburbs and yes i am surrounded by treess, but going deeper into nature where there is total silence, where there is a communion of the soul is something that I long for and need.  I find that when i feel depleted, this is what nourishes me.  So we took a trip to Innesfree Gardens upstate new york.  The journey was longer than I expected. 

Yet when we arrived, I felt i was transported somewhere else.  There was a large lake with lily pads and two paths for the visitors to take.  We could either turn to the left or turn to the right.  We turned to the right and walked.  Every step we took was a discovery of something new. A waterfall, some flowers, a climbing path where we are taken to rolling hills.  The greenery was soothing to the eyes.  My son was in heaven.  There was so much space for him to be free and I think that's what nature does for you - it makes you free.  That childlike expression of being yourself i saw that being expressed through him and i felt myself like that - gleeing at something new that I saw.  Amazed that I could climb up high into the rock garden, watch my son roll down hills and knowing that he may hurt himself, he was having fun and that was what was important.  

There were benches for us to sit at - chairs for us to stare out into the lake and let our mind come to a standstill.  Yes it does come to a standstill when we stare at the pond.  Silence - it is so profound that silence - some of us may not know what to do with it, but for me it was a treasure.  It was a moment of being still.  

Nature has that capacity to heal and for those of us that don't do it enough, ask yourselves why? For those of us that do - continue to do so because it takes you to another dimension of yourself.  
That fresh air on your face, the sun shining its rays down on you and feel the warmth of it on your back.  God's creation at its finest and it is so natural.  So natural. and that's what is so beautiful about it. 
Ironically - the journey took about 5 hours total - i was more energized then i have ever been and it was well worth the trip.

It was a walking meditation and it put me back into my center.   I remember when I was younger I used to attend spiritual retreats and at one of the retreats, we did a walking meditation in the night.  This was at a campsite and we had our flashlights and walked in silence one step at a time.  No words, just walking on the grass one step at a time and all around us was the sky, the stars, and the cool fresh air.  The sound of the crickets, and our footsteps.  Then we came to a point to rest - it was a pond and we sat down and just stared at the pond.  It was a powerful experience which i would do again. 
Walking through the gardens reminded me of that except it was daylight, i was surrounded by family, we talked, i followed my son, but i was still in nature - feeling connnected to something larger than myself and letting me believe that there is something larger than me out there - that what we see with the physical eye is limited and that creation is manifested in ways that words can't express.  It is a feeling and that feeling stays with you for a while. 

If you do go for a walk in nature, I encourage you to keep your journal with you.  find a quiet space and write - see what happens and you will be surprised to see your wisdom speak to you.

Happy Journaling!