ONE WITH NATURE

Written 8/7/09

I am surrounded by astounding natural beauty as I sit on my deck.  Tall trees, mostly pine and oak, rise untamed from the conservation land behind my cedar fence.  The leaves barely move now but earlier they spoke with the rustle of the sea wind.  They sounded like the woods of Maine, even though they’re planted in Cape soil and sand. The sky above is so crisp it could be sliced cleanly by a sky writer. Void of clouds, planes or any intrusion, it is uniform in color, almost a luminescent blue.  The birds must be readying for rest.  They’ve taken to the trees where only an energetic few still chirp.  The hummingbird couple retired after a ten minute visit to my red bee balm plants and yellow honeysuckle vine.  The colors of my flowers need no artist.  They are creations of nature.  The breeze picks up for a moment and another hummingbird flits by. 

 In allowing myself to really see what is before me, not only are my eyes open but my mind is too.  So much pours in now.  Gratitude for this feast before me, fills my senses and brings me peace, for it is here that I feel both the stillness and movement of nature and come to understand that this is how nature is.  Just as the hummingbirds come and go, as the leaves rustle then stop, as the birds are silent, then sing, I too am changing.  In quiet, sound is born.  In stillness, action begins.  In my sadness at not being in love, the energy of one to come begins.  In my times of loneliness, a connection stirs.  Since I too am part of nature, my movement is the same.  What is not here now will soon appear, just as what is here now, may depart.  With this understanding comes acceptance of the flow of the natural world we are one with and I find faith; faith that if I’m in tune with the ways of nature and remain aware of its energy and movement, all that is not well will soon be and what has left, will again return.  Maybe different but it will be new, recreated or reformed. But it will appear, if I keep my eyes, my heart, my mind and ears open.  For if I don’t, it may pass me by and I’ll never even know that I had the chance to see, to love, to grab hold off.  I’ve learned in this writing, that each change in nature is a reminder for me to watch, pay attention and keep faith that the winds of change are in constant motion, that it is how the cycles go and I will flow with it as it flows through me.