As I sit down to write, I am in my ‘lake room’. It is a wonderful (small) room at the back of the house overlooking a peaceful lake. A sliding glass door (and many windows) offers a panoramic view of the elegant natural landscape. It is a cool August morning. I can hear the gentle fountain in the bay; just out of my view. A fish jumps above the water surface as if greeting the beautiful morning. I watch the undulations of water expand from a tiny circle spreading out to amplify the joy of my slippery, swimming friend. Dozens of geese announce their arrival as they circle to come in for a landing. A long splash from each goose can be heard (and seen) as they skim across the welcoming lake. Another fish clears the water; his ripple seems to go on forever; affecting every molecule of the clear green water.
And then, in the distance I can hear, “Whoot-whoot… chugga-chugga, chugga-chugga!” A nearby train screams to warn the passersby. A truck barrels down the highway. More geese land on the tranquil lake. As traffic on the highway (over half a mile away) increases, it makes it difficult to hear the fountain in the bay. A plane overhead, a car horn, a lawn mower, my cell phone chimes to alert a text… and my quiet utopia gives way to the world of machines.
Can you imagine what it was like before the advent of machines … technology? How amazing the sounds of nature before planes, trains and automobiles; before laptops, telephones and televisions? No distractions; just nature. I’d like to go back in time and listen to the quiet. I would love to peer up into the beautiful night sky; no city lights to wash out the stars as they connect me to the cosmos. I love the conveniences of our time. It is certainly an incredible time to be alive! But don’t you just long for nature… only interrupted by more nature?
As I sit in my lake room, it takes increasingly more focus to hear the sweet splash of my friendly fish, the elegant bird as she sings her love-song in the lovely oak, and the lapping water as it greets the earthen shore. Yet in that focus; that intentional (mindful) attention, there is a stunning awe; a reverence of my Earth Mother for the beauty that she gives so unsparingly, whether I am aware of it … or not.
My invitation for you today is to find yourself a comfortable place in nature. If you can’t physically go there, just imagine it. Sit down on our beautiful Earth Mother. Allow the creations of Man to fade into the background. Turn off your cell phone. And then, using all of your senses, take in the sweetness of our amazing planet. See her beauty. Notice the sky; the birds. Allow your eyes to wander; a tree, a flower, an ant. Close your eyes and feel the sun and breeze on your face and hands. Listen. What do you hear? Reach down and feel the ground beneath you; notice the texture, the temperature. Breathe in deeply. Smell the fragrance of nature. Enjoy a moment with your planet; undisturbed. Feel your connection to the Earth. Sense your connection to the sky. And in that wondrous moment, remember your connection to all life.
Until next time, Love and blessings~
~Dena D.