“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.” — Henry David Thoreau
In November, many of us gathered with friends and family in a tangible expression of gratitude for all the good in our lives, and it was left to each and every one of us to search our souls for those people and things for which we are most thankful. While I am always appreciative of the love and caring of my own family and friends, I also aim that gratitude beyond the boundaries of home and hearth and into the wild, untrodden places that in large part influence my daily existence.
Soon, we will celebrate again, if we haven’t already, this time by giving each other gifts, a process that is, in a sense, a more tangible expression of the gratitude we feel toward each other. Each year, I think the same thing: that, if I had limitless funds, I could give so much more to so many more. Seeing as I can’t do that, I do have another recourse, and that is to share the gifts that I have been given, that allow me to be able to write this column each week, with as many people as I can.
First, I wish for you all the ability to see, to look beyond the parameters of your daily existence into other worlds whose dynamics go on quietly yet surely, and of which we only have the barest knowledge. Cherish always the basic truths that trees and plants are not simply static things that serve only to beautify our world, but more so, that they are what keep us alive and make all that we experience possible. Remember that trees, shrubs, flowers and vines filter the water we drink, the soil we walk on and sow in, and the very air we breathe, that they keep us housed and fed, as well as cool in summer and warm in winter.
Look with awe upon the creatures that call the wild places home and that venture out into our world from time to time ”“ the deer, the foxes and coyotes, and others that visit us in the night in search of food. Look, too, to the skies at the ravens, hawks and eagles as well as the smaller birds that brighten our lives with their energy and their plumage.
I wish you also the ability to hear ”“ the robin’s sweet song in the spring; the sound of rain on roofs and eaves; the wind sighing in the tops of pines; the ponds, lakes and rivers popping and snapping as the ice shifts in winter; the melody of the wood and hermit thrushes from the deep woods on warm summer evenings; a dog barking in the distance; the low roll of thunder from an approaching storm; the crow’s warning call of danger; the woodpecker’s tapping on a dead tree; the sound of acorns falling from the trees at summer’s end as the squirrels begin their annual hoarding.
In the coming year, train all your senses to be attuned to all of nature’s nuances, to her scents and aromas, to the direction of the wind, the signs of a coming storm, the color of the sky at morning when bad weather threatens, the unmistakable smell of winter approaching, the rich aroma of a summer rain drenching the parched, dry earth or a city street. Teach yourself to see, hear, smell and feel the small things, the worlds within worlds that deserve your attention, if only for the lessons they teach.
But most importantly, allow yourselves to be children again sometimes. Thrill at snowflakes on your tongue, raindrops on your hands, or at butterflies and bumblebees. Catch lightning bugs in jars, step in rain puddles and leave your hand prints in the snow. It is only as children that we fully appreciate the wonders of the natural world without having to understand how they work.
Make 2014 the year you release your inner child and reconnect with nature. Walk in the woods or along the shore, feed the birds, grow some flowers, plant a few tomatoes, gaze at the sunlight dancing in the trees and at snow crystals spreading across your windows. Marvel anew at leaf showers falling from the trees and the moon gilding the night in its fullness.
Live.
— Rachel Lovejoy, a freelance writer living in Lyman, who enjoys exploring the woods of southern Maine, can be reached via email at rachell1950@yahoo.com.
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