07-24-2021, 04:43 PM
Across the street from my apartment, lives a beautiful woods.
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Most days I spend time communing with nature throughout the ~90 acre park meditating, walking or jogging in some capacity. My old roommate's dog and I used to go for walks in this park daily, but they moved out of town a couple months back. Since their move away, I have been slowly adjusting to living without my greatest companions, and the time alone has been great for my meditation and seeking but admittedly lonely at times. The woods have become a great companion of mine. I've always felt at peace in the woods, but I am only now coming to understand that the collective life in these woods are providing me with incredible company!
I have begun more intentionally fostering a relationship with these woods through walking barefoot, laying in the fields, talking to the trees, touching the trees, etc. The woods seem to be communicating back to me in the most wonderful ways. A family of owls in the woods seem to hoot in my vicinity, often times at the point in my walk/hike where I am just escaping in to the true present, and the other day one flew right in front of me, startling me into the joy of creation. I watched a family of raccoons notice me, gather, and walk on their way through one of their routes. The groundhogs lumber from their mudshacks and grace me with their presence. These experiences have been filling me with immense joy. The fruit of this relationship is transforming me.
Last night I was very anxious on the verge of panic induced by marijuana edibles. I generally stay away from marijuana these days, but sought to test my ability to control my mind and step in to the present. I was having great trouble at the peak of the trip, going down thought-train after thought-train making myself anxious thinking about problems, missing my old canine companion, and then I looked up. I saw the woods in front of me. I said out loud "There is simply not a problem. I've got the woods, its always been the woods." And a tremendous full body chill took over me and blasted me into the present. I discovered a wonderful little bench situated in a corner of the woods that I rarely travel and meditated for a few minutes. The rest of the trip became more comfortable with a hint of continued anxiousness.
In summary, go outside and sit under a tree once in awhile. Wander through your local woods, set intention with the collective life on earth, you never know what they might show you. And don't do edibles.
Love
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Most days I spend time communing with nature throughout the ~90 acre park meditating, walking or jogging in some capacity. My old roommate's dog and I used to go for walks in this park daily, but they moved out of town a couple months back. Since their move away, I have been slowly adjusting to living without my greatest companions, and the time alone has been great for my meditation and seeking but admittedly lonely at times. The woods have become a great companion of mine. I've always felt at peace in the woods, but I am only now coming to understand that the collective life in these woods are providing me with incredible company!
I have begun more intentionally fostering a relationship with these woods through walking barefoot, laying in the fields, talking to the trees, touching the trees, etc. The woods seem to be communicating back to me in the most wonderful ways. A family of owls in the woods seem to hoot in my vicinity, often times at the point in my walk/hike where I am just escaping in to the true present, and the other day one flew right in front of me, startling me into the joy of creation. I watched a family of raccoons notice me, gather, and walk on their way through one of their routes. The groundhogs lumber from their mudshacks and grace me with their presence. These experiences have been filling me with immense joy. The fruit of this relationship is transforming me.
Last night I was very anxious on the verge of panic induced by marijuana edibles. I generally stay away from marijuana these days, but sought to test my ability to control my mind and step in to the present. I was having great trouble at the peak of the trip, going down thought-train after thought-train making myself anxious thinking about problems, missing my old canine companion, and then I looked up. I saw the woods in front of me. I said out loud "There is simply not a problem. I've got the woods, its always been the woods." And a tremendous full body chill took over me and blasted me into the present. I discovered a wonderful little bench situated in a corner of the woods that I rarely travel and meditated for a few minutes. The rest of the trip became more comfortable with a hint of continued anxiousness.
In summary, go outside and sit under a tree once in awhile. Wander through your local woods, set intention with the collective life on earth, you never know what they might show you. And don't do edibles.
Love