It is a gray day here in Maine. We had a just a bit of snow yesterday. These are days that I adore. The snow quiets everything down. It is just what I needed to reset from all the hustle and bustle of my life and the season. It has been a busy fall for me. I, recently, realized I hadn't had a whole day alone since June! Not a good thing for the introverted soul. I decided to take no appointments from clients this month so I could carve out time to just be.
When I went out to do my morning chores...the world was just so silent. I love the way the snow muffles. I could still hear distant chainsaws and trucks but they did not sound so harsh. I decided to take a leisurely walk in the cold snowy woods. Of course, Runa came along.
Alone, is a relative term. I never really have felt alone and seldom recall being lonely. Actually, when I am "alone" --- separated from any other human presences...you might say --- is when I feel the least alone. It is then that I can sense the "all is oneness", you may call this God, Great Spirit, Goddess....for me it is a sort of everythingness. Nothing is separate. Here is a little quote by Thomas Merton that says it so well. (today~December 10th is the day Merton entered the monastery & is the day he died)
"And now in the woods, I once again revisit the idea of simply staying here, in the woods---with great interior freedom, and applying myself to the main business, which has nothing to do with places, and does not require a beach of pure, white Caribbean sand. Only silence and a curtain of trees."
Thomas Merton "A search for Solitude"
On my walk I saw no one. Not even a bird. But I was not alone...here is proof!
Rabbit Tracks
I could hear a woodpecker up there somewhere but never saw it...though I stood and looked for quite awhile.
FOX TRACKS!
Fox tracks besides running Runa tracks
White-tailed Deer Tracks
Fox trail next to dog trail
Squirrel tracks..."Runa Come! Runa Come!!! Runa get your fuzzy butt over here and leave the wild things be..." (you guessed it...she loves to chase squirrels..never caught one..though she is a good mouser for a dog)
And who made these tracks...the not so wild...Vern!
Vern's way of enjoying a cold wintery day!
This a regular feature I plan to include in this blog. I try to see something new each day. It is part of my practice in "seeing". The art of seeing is essential to any creative work in my humble opinion. My favorites are the ones that stop me in my tracks! Like so many folks I have a very busy mind that I struggle to quiet. But by creating this practice it has given me many opportunities to pause and be with a new wonder. I love to wonder about wonders. These little seeings can be just the jolt my creative process needs to get out of a rut. But mostly they provide a pause which is that moment of peace I need to heal from a frustration. These seeings are grounding for me and bring me to the present. I will admit to laughing out loud with joy over some of these discoveries. They are a moment of childlike wonder!
No comments:
Post a Comment