POWER OF NATURE

THE POWER OF NATURE

I haven’t always loved and revered nature.  I have always been fortunate to be in or near nature and somehow missed the power of nature.  In my 40’s it seemed as if everyone I was communicating with had something to say about nature.  Whether it be how many mosquitoes were in nature or how much fun it was to  be in nature.

It seemed to me I better start to get to know the power of nature.  Off I went slipping and sliding on paths coated in mud.  My attention was taken up with the next hill.  Would I make it up without gasping for air?  I’d find myself wondering what I was missing besides dry shoes and dry skin.  Forget my experience of nature in the summer with gnats  and humidity and longing for air conditioning & iced tea.

I forced myself to spend time in nature.  I knew I was missing the power of nature.  Everyone I admired loved nature.  Euphemisms abounded.  There I was hiking in the woods,  checking my watch and talking about work incessantly.  All the other hikers seemed to glide over rocks, up hills and through bushes.  When I finished hiking I’d immediately inanely say to myself  “that was great I probably burned a couple hundred calories.”  I felt as if I wasn’t uncovering anything powerful.

I enjoyed being outdoors with my family, even though my daughters seemed to reflect my opinions on insects, humidity and scratchy bushes.  I knew I just wasn’t getting nature and amazingly I had an inner knowing that “getting it” was very important to my inner growth in life.  I instinctively knew there was immense value / power for me in nature.

I moved to Colorado.  If I was to find the power of nature it would be in Colorado.  No humidity, no bugs and lots of sunshine.  Hiking became my favorite pastime.  I wasn’t hiking fourteeners yet the challenge of hiking mountains with less altitude was so exciting.  I began to develop an intensified sense of adventure.  What might I discover around the bend?  How far could I go?  Who would join me and our dog Jake?

This love of hiking has stayed with me.  What has changed is my awareness of nature.  I no longer hike to burn calories or to stay fit.  I hike to be in nature.  The antennae on my skin picks up an energy unblemished with worry or strife.  This is the power of nature.

I absolutely love trees and quiet trails.  I hike alone so I can appreciate the stillness and glow of nature.  I’m always glad to greet other hikers and especially their dogs and yet I return to the magic feeling I get when I’m hiking in nature alone listening for the occasional bird call.

After all these years of hiking in nature I have finally uncovered what drives my love for nature.  Nature is by its existence, calming.  It holds remarkable qualities to balance a hiker’s body and mind.  I may start a trail with great distractions on my mind or even a hurting foot.  When the hike is over I am filled with stillness and my foot is fine.  This is the power of nature; healing.

Nature and especially trees hold the magic quality of  balance.  As the trees connect with each other they connect with me as I walk along the trail.  They connect through energy.  They refrain from shouting out psychic messages and instead draw me into a balancing, calming sense of vitality .  If I’m still and open the trees and grasses permeate me with energy and a sense of center that is so regenerating .  Now I understand others’ and my boundless love and attachment to the power of nature.