Call me a tree hugger, but there’s nothing more refreshing and cleansing than being outside in the open air. 2016 is just over half way done, but there’s been a fair amount of struggle this year. Numerous terrorist attacks, a stressful presidential race, police-citizen tension and, of course, everyone has had their personal afflictions. As the year nears to a close and holidays creep up on the horizon, it’s time to recharge.
Take a walk in the woods. I’ve found nothing helps more.
It only takes a few minutes, but the calm and simplicity of the forest touches the soul in inexplicable ways. I love to sit in coniferous forests where there’s little crunchy leaf litter and listen to the wind rustle the needles overhead. The vast amount of shade offers comfortable lighting and lets enough sun down to warm you and illuminate the wonders around you. In early spring, choruses of spring peepers are the best before-bed lullaby, and lightening bugs the perfect company. At dusk, the sky painted in hues of yellow, pink, and remaining blue awe me. Sometimes, if I sit long enough in a spot I’ve picked in the woods, animal life will come back to life as before it heard me coming. Tree frogs, toads, red-spotted salamanders, and deer have all been my companions at times. They go about life so gracefully, so deliberately. It’s all a beautiful distraction from negative feelings. Just seeing nature live, unconcerned with the stressors we face, reminds us of how simple and beautiful life truly is. It is so easy to become overwhelmed and consumed in daily life, with this event and that task, that we forget this. For me, getting outside offers a comfort no church or person could ever offer. It’s not healing earned through having pain or afflictions acknowledged, but instead healing through seeing that life isn’t so ugly if we just stop to realize it. The sun will rise over the forest tomorrow, and while whatever may pain you might still be present, so is the forest, and you can always return to it for the calm, comforting solitude it offers. The quiet, the calm, the beauty, may just be all you need to rest your mind and soul for a little while, and heal and find the strength to conquer whatever lies ahead.
