July 20th, 2009    Quiet in the Woods

One of our favorite things to do is wander off into the woods, find a comfortable-looking spot, and sit down to just 'be' in the woods for a while.  Last week we had a particularly delightful time when we found a spot among some birches and settled in to observe the woodlands.

The thing is, it's not really observation.  It's more like melting into the landscape.  When you're silent in the woods, the wild things have a way of accepting you in.  Soon the birds start alighting in nearby branches, and often a deer or other creature of the fields or forests will pad by.

This day, however, nothing in particular happened.  In fact, it was the sense of 'nothing happening' that really captured our imagination.

"Just imagine," I said to Rebecca, "if this was our life.  Just being wild.  There would be no goals, no aspirations, nothing to strive for.  We could just be."

To our civilized minds, this can seem like a pointless and wasted existence.  But during that moment, we saw something else -- the perfect sense of belonging that accompanies a life lived fully in the Now. 

For Rebecca and I, this is an exciting time.  Our book is out being reviewed by publishers, and new opportunities are presenting themselves at every turn.  We're very immersed in the adventure of reaching for our dreams.  But for a moment, out there in the  woods, we looked at each other and one of us said, "Perhaps we should just go.  Wander off into the deep quiet."

This has always been a beckons in our life.  A soft whisper that recollects time spent among the trees and the animals -- a ghost-like memory of a life that doesn't need to strive, to dream, to aspire.  It only needs to be.

                                   

Back to the Journal

Home