Wisdom from the woods

The woods have always been magical, for as long as I can remember, from very little on. I remember a special connection to the trees while walking amoungst the giants underneath the thick cover of branches and leaves. I remember touching the bark as if picking up the life within, to feel the heartbeat that would command mine to match and to slow down and to just breathe. I envision younger me standing with my head tilted back to watch the sky above and follow the rays of the sun peaking through, while leaving tiny spots of light dancing on the forest floor. Beams of casting light, shedding warmths and little pockets of magic everywhere. One step at a time, my feet carry me over the soft mossy ground as I listen to the rustling sound of leaves and breaking twigs beneath my feet. It’s peaceful and all I hear is nature and the chirping of the birds. Carefree, my heart fills with wonder and I’m reminded that “Going to the woods, is going home.” -John Muir.

I remember the clean aromatic smell after the rain, the damp forest floor with the hint of mushrooms hiding beneath the cover. The morning dew on plant life that burned off in the morning sun and the misty, foggy mystery that gave way as it was the beginning to a beautiful day.

Today, my journey and my experiences in life, relate to my feelings of the woods. Sometimes hidden in fog, the whole picture is not always visible and you could easily take a wrong turn. Sometimes you just need to have faith and follow the tiny spots of light to allow them to lead you out of the darkness. And other times, you just have to surrender and let everything find it’s way. To believe in the outcome to the questions that remain unanswered, to go home as often as possible and remember that everything in life is about renewal and sometimes letting go. 

Being a sucker for quotes and the way the woods make me feel, it’s only natural to end this post with a few that strike a chord with me at this time. For there is wisdom all around us and always will be. 

“The wanting was a wilderness and I had to find my own way out of the woods.” -Cheryl Strayed

(Our campsite last weekend -New Brighton Beach State Park)

“The woods are lovely, dark and deep. But I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep”  -Robert Frost 

“I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life. And see if I could not learn what it had to teach and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.” -Thoreau