Trees Breathing

Recently, I had the incredible experience of staying with a friend in a cabin in the woods. One of my favorite activities was walking among the trees. Looking up at those that soared above me, my heart filled with awe. Their majestic stance along with the silence of the otherwise empty forest left me without words.

My mind emptied. My eyes absorbed the beauty. My ears tuned in to the breath of nature. My heart slowed, as did my normally hurried pace. My nostrils took in the greenness of the area. I felt comforted by the loveliness and calm of my surroundings.

When we have experiences like this, especially after the rush and bother of our routines, it opens us to a changed view of ourselves in relationship to the wider world. It also reminds us that we are not here to conquer nature, but to live with it, to cherish it, to protect it. We need those moments of listening to the trees breathing, those moments of stillness, those moments of recognizing there is more to this world.

Being in that forest refreshed me. I returned to my routine life feeling less absorbed in me. It also presented me with a renewed vision of connection and relevance. The trees reminded me that even a brief time with them is revitalizing ~ and that I don't have to find my way to the woodlands to experience it. There are trees all around various parts of my neighborhood. Maybe next time, I'll slow down and commune with them as well!

Where do you find refreshment? How do you respond to the 'voices' of nature? What moves you to slow down? What is most important in your life? How do you combine and protect all that strike you as important?