January 5, 2021

“Of All the paths you take in life make sure a few of them are dirt.” John Muir

Yesterday, I was feeling a bit Covid overwhelmed, so I made it a priority to get myself into the woods.  All the trees around us have something to share and as I walked through the woods of Avalon I heard voices in my head.  Well not really, but as I walked alone there was definitely something going on in my noggin.

Normally I am surrounded by children talking, laughing, and questioning. But on this day it was quiet. So quiet that the fact that my socks were falling down into my boots really bothered me.  Usually, I am too busy watching others to pay attention to a minor irritation such as sock slippage.  I decided to suck it up and continue walking without pulling them up.  It reminded me of the irritation of Covid and how it is just there in my head and no matter what I cannot make it go away.  If I pull my socks up they will just return to their annoying position. Just as Covid remains in its annoying position. 

As I walked further into the woods I shed my Covid angst and began to see and hear things that made me stop and inhale deeply.  I looked up at the tall naked trees scanning for birds of prey.  Hopeful that I would get lucky and spot something wild. 

Further into the woods I reminisced about places where the kids and I hiked together.  I stopped and heard their voices.  “Miss Sue, look at that!  Why do people do that?  That is bad.”  It never fails, there is always at least one child who expresses their dismay at tree carvings.  So, as I pass each tree with initials scraped into it I hear echoes of their concern.  There are a lot of trees out there with carvings thus I heard a lot of voices in my head.  

Nearing the end of my hike the voices subsided, the socks still felt lumpy but my head was clearer.  As I rounded a turn in the trail I heard a rustle but saw nothing. Then I looked again.  There he was a plump buck just doing his thing.  We stared at each other for a while.  I checked him out and he looked me over.  His hair was thick and his antler nubs were present. I nodded and walked on.  Another day in the woods for both of us.  

Give your inner voice a rest by going out into nature. Breathe, because you can.

 Miss Sue