Life lessons learned on walk through woods
On a recent Virginia getaway with my girlfriends, we decided to forgo the temptation to sit in our PJ’s and share the morning drinking coffee ... and more coffee. We didn’t drive all that way to just talk, after all, although we had to convince ourselves just a bit. The opportunity to discover beckoned, so we decided to participate in a guided hike at the base of the Allegheny mountains.
We rose that morning with conversations and thoughts bound by the familiar. We laughed, we ate the usual breakfast, and we chatted about things of home, family and personal struggles. Our collective friendship has seen us through many life journeys, but this morning we could only imagine the delight waiting for us. We were invited to participate in lessons as we entered the classroom of nature. Our guide, Brian, brought us along as he unfolded the wonder amidst the canopy of marvel which enveloped us as we released ourselves to the awe of nature.
We entered the forest, each bearing limitations. Yet as we stopped, with a mindfulness of the all-encompassing purpose of the forest, the doors of our minds opened. Amazement and wonder flooded the smallness of our lives. Even poison ivy became fascinating.
Brian expanded our awareness. His bird call connected our curiosity to the languages of the multitude of feathered friends, heard through stillness and the ability to listen far beyond our busy-ness. We were teased by the sound of waterfalls, and awed as we rounded the bends. There, where moss blanketed the frame of rushing waters, we rested in amazement. The combination of power in the roar of falling whitecaps with the soft sparkle of the sun touching the mist left us speechless. I was grateful to be with others who could bank the moment with me. The symphony of nature was in full concert mode.
I was also struck by the equal ground nature provides. We met those from different parts of the country, with different professions, and different backgrounds. And although we could have investigated our differences, the sounds and sights of the forest called us to humility and realization that we really do need one another. I saw that as one helped another navigate the rough terrain of the stone steps. Our diversity melded with the weave of tree roots as we pointed and explained together. Wildflowers coexisted with 100-year-old trees, reminding us that different is a good thing.
The morning offered one of those opportunities to shift. At least for a few hours, we removed the blinders that define individual perspectives. There were no limits to the beauty, the poetic cooperation, and the lasting lessons of the mountains and the forest. Our vision widened and our ability to listen broadened. Yes, this was a morning we would always remember.
As we drove home to Ohio, we reminded one another of our takeaways. First, the sonata of nature is just as awesome each time we venture outside our own back doors. Second, we are fortunate to have nature trails waiting to transform us right here in the greater Dayton area. And perhaps most important, the opportunity to share the wonders of nature with those who travel life together make the soul’s nectar even sweeter. I think ultimately, we humans need that connection. I think I hear the birds calling even now.