Day 4- The Woods are Alive

The Path Narrows

Further into the trees now,

The path is wide enough only for me.

I am not alone, though, 

The buzzing bees and babbling brook keep me company.

Journal Entry 4

Today we went to the Aulwood Audubon, a nature preserve that is also home to a working farm. After a quick introduction, we took a hike through the woods, with our guide taking time to explain about the beautiful native flora and fauna, as well as the dangers of some of the invasive species we saw. After our hike, we stopped at the farm. All of the animals were so cool! I got to pet piglets and horses and sheep and, my favorite, goats. One actually bit me, but it was totally worth it. When we returned, we were tasked with writing a contemplation or a meditation script inspired by our experience. 

Contemplation

I am walking under the forest canopy. For the first time in years, I am not tired. The honeysuckle-scented air carries the sweet sounds of birdsong, and each breath seems to energize me more, to motivate me to keep moving. On both sides of me, the saplings have sprouted to my waist, while the grandfather trees reach their twisted green branches to the endless summer sky. There is life within me, and there is life all around me. Underneath my running shoes, there is grass and dirt and millions of tiny creatures, oxygenating the soil for the plants.

My fingertips graze the Dame’s Rocket; it is an invasive species, but the delicate purple flowers are beautiful nonetheless. The rest of the forest is a monochrome of greens and browns; brown dirt, rotting fallen branches with bright green moss, strong brown tree trunks, green ivy creeping up the trunks, green leaves reaching to the sky. Up in the canopy, the birds dwell. Swallows, blue jays, and a woodpecker chatter, rapid-fire and unintelligible. Even above the birds, the sun shines bright, but only small white slivers make it past the broad leaves to illuminate the path.

I bring myself back to the path in front of me, anticipating even greater moments of beauty along the trail. What will I see? What creatures will I encounter? The only way I can know is to move on, so I do.