April: On Nature
April 28
Today's reflection was inspired by the poem "The Peace of Wild Things" by Wendell Berry.
We fear a future that does not exist, one that we created and then let control our lives in the present. This is a very human thing to do—anxiety has helped us survive for millions of years out in the plains or in the forests and mountains. And it’s easy to say, “Do not let it control you,” when you are not suffering from it. But when your mind has been apprehended by it? That is another matter. So best to prepare, and best to repair—find your places in nature, those ones that heal you and free you. Breathe the air, watch the swaying of the trees, the still water of a pond, the blue skies and bright stars. Do this every chance you get. When on vacation or out on a hike or stopping for a moment in the grocery store parking lot to look up at the clouds and imagine where they’ve been and where they have yet to go, watch the birds below them on their way south or north without forethought of grief—then breathe, and repeat.
