#15. “Nature is amazing.”
A field
That’s all it took to enchant me
I have never returned
From the sound of the crickets
Blades of green tickles
Or the smell of rain on the path
The path I walked
To school, to play, to think
The path I rode
My bike and my Honda 70
Over the bumps
Around that curve
Slowing down for sure
Because nothing’s for sure
Being cautiously crazy
Carelessly stable
~
In the 70’s, life was about what we did. We DID things…without gadgets in our hands. We made things. We made things up. We looked for things. We found things. We entertained ourselves and created our own life, without Google and a status shuffle.
Playing outside was the key to our happiness as children. We felt the wind, touched the grass, skinned our knees and burned our faces in the sun…without sunscreen.
Nature was part of my childhood. It fired up my curiosity and my imagination. Taking a walk in the field near our home gave me ideas. There was a large crater like hole surrounded by tall grass, which became a hideout. There were plants to identify and dissect. There were bugs to put in mason jars and tiny toads to capture in my cupped hands.
I always set them free.
There were trails in the field and my younger brother took to them fearlessly with various dirt bikes, deliberately catching air over mole hills. I admired him. I admired him so much that I wanted to be the only girl in the neighborhood to ride a mini bike. After all, a girl can only force Barbie to try on so many of those silly plastic shoes.
The trees I climbed, the wild raspberries I picked and ate, everything I saw and touched in that field is still with me today. I was blessed by nature. I need it to nourish my soul, calm my mind and recharge my body.
If you find the time to go for a walk…..stop.
Look.
Listen.
Nature comes to you when you are still.
mishunderstood 