I think everyone experiences periods in life that feel too hectic, less clear, maybe a little lost.  I’m feeling one of those times now as we go through some changes in our family dynamics.  This morning I looked out the window and I saw our Maple tree had turned red almost overnight. 

How beautiful, I thought. It filled me with a little spark of joy and I tried to hold on to that a bit longer, to savor it. 

I felt the urge to look up some poems about the seasons. Just as the earth goes through its natural seasons, so too do we in our lives. I knew I’d find something to speak to my mood. As I perused some of my books, I came to Wendell Berry. 

The Peace of Wild Things

When despair for the world grows in me and I wake in the night at the least sound in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be, I go and lie down where the wood drake rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.  I come into the peace of wild things who do not tax their lives with forethought of grief. I come into the presence of still water.  And I feel above me the day-blind stars waiting with their light. For a time I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.

This poem spoke to me and whispered a reminder to look to Nature for strength and peace. 
I do find myself renewed by time spent outside. This past week, while out walking my dog, I came around the back of the pond to find a huge blue heron wading at the waters edge. I believe the heron is my mother’s spirit visiting me as it began coming to visit us from time to time the week she passed away. When I came around from behind the trees, the bird made no motions to move but rather just watched me as I watched it. 

I thought of this, too, as I read the Berry poem this morning. There is so much available positive energy for the spirit in the natural world.  I just have to take the time and also look up to notice it!

Earlier this week I saw this quote again as well, which I have always loved:

Put yourself in the way of beauty. 

The full quote is actually: 

“There’s always a sunrise and always a sunset and it’s up to you to choose to be there for it,’ said my mother. ‘Put yourself in the way of beauty.” -Cheryl Strayed

The thought there is that there is always beauty available to us. We have to make the effort to notice though.

So I am recommitting myself to finding peace in nature, to showing up and noticing and breathing deep the calm of the wild things.  

What do you do to feel refreshed and rejuvenated?