Forest Lessons

Yesterday, I threw on jeans and a hoodie, stuffed my hair under a slouchy hat and took off for the afternoon.  I found place fairly locally which I hadn't realized was there.  It has some really gorgeous trails to walk.  In all, I spent just over 2 1/2 hours out in the woods.

The trails at Cormer Woods in Uxbridge, MA aren't long, wide roads with gravel, rocks or sand.  These are actual trails, marked by colored blazes on the trees at intervals and with enough travel to have a subtle feel for the trail, but with the fallen leaves it's very easy between blazes to lose the trail, especially if you're me and everything catches your eye!

The temperature was a blustery 51 degrees, just cool enough to be a perfect fall day for hiking but not so cold that I was uncomfortable.  I was glad of the slouchy hat, though with the wind yesterday.

I love the solitude of a walk in the woods.  This place was completely new to me, and so unlike my antics with areas I frequent constantly, I made a concerted effort to STAY on the trails.   When you're hiking alone you have to follow some safety rules and I always tell people where I am going. plan plenty of daylight time for the hike, bring my phone with me, and stay on the trails if I don't know the area extremely well.

The foliage yesterday was gorgeous, so I was snapping pictures some of the time.  I'm always overcome with the beauty of nature when I'm out there by myself.  I never really feel as if I am alone though, but that's a subject for another blog entry. Cormier Woods is really a strikingly beautiful place, and I was enchanted as I walked the trails, enjoying everything from the colored leaves to huge rock formations, the changing plant life as it gets colder, birds, and much more.

I really do love these times.  Me, the forest and nothing else.  Eventually, your day to day thoughts fall away and it can become almost a walking meditation.  You're truly just one with the place, and with your own soul.  Who says witches don't go to church?

At one point on the "blue blaze" part of the trail, when I'd been out there a little over 90 minutes, I did get a bit lost.  I never left the trail but the blue blazes on the trees, coupled with the "private property beyond this point" signs were a bit confusing and I found myself coming back to the same spot, a second and third time, apparently making a confused loop, but via different routes.  I also almost lost the trail a few times, as the blazes were far apart and there were so many fallen leaves.

I discovered something at this point. The trail, my "path" if  you will, was ALWAYS there.  At times it was very obvious and easy for me to pick up, and I could clearly tell where I should be walking next.  At other times, the signs that I was on the trail were much more subtle, but they were STILL THERE.  It was all about me quieting myself enough to read those signs, and follow my intuition.  Each time I almost got off track or became confused, choosing to stop, and calmly evaluate, checking the visible signs and my own intuition always put me back where I needed to be for that next step. The path was always there.

During the time that I looped around three times, I found myself getting mildly panicked at one point. I mean, I was on the marked trail, but I had also looped around to the same spot 3 times.  How had I managed that!?  I started getting angry at myself and at the Universe in general and a bit concerned because it was after 4 at this point and I wanted to be back to the car by 4:30.

At this point, I just stopped.  I calmed myself, and reminded myself that I get to choose the direction of my thoughts.  I took the time to breathe in and out and focused on the fact that I am always well taken care of.  In addition to the usual precautions mentioned earlier and the comfort of knowing my fully charged cell phone was in my pocket, I had also taken Archangel Michael out on my walk with me.  Say what you will, but I rarely do anything without Michael, and his protection is flawless.  I felt peaceful.

This allowed me to evaluate, to think through how I had gotten looped around, and to to decide which direction to go in next.  By doing this, I easily found the correct path to where I needed to go.  As I rounded out the end of the "blue blaze" trail and reconnected with the "red blaze" trail which would eventually bring me back to the parking area, I realized that peace isn't dependent on my circumstances or surroundings.  I can choose it, in any and every moment.

At this point, I was at about the 2 hour mark.  The terrain at the end of the red blaze trail included some steep inclines.  I did somewhat expect this, since I remembered on the way in, the trail definitely was going downhill a lot.  So the climb back up was just that in some spots, a CLIMB.  I was getting winded, my slouchy hat felt hot and I was sweating like crazy. My legs were getting one hell of a workout!  I wanted to find a rock or a fallen tree and just sit but something inside made me want to keep going and do this, with no quitting.  I kept telling myself, just keep moving!  It was actually kind of fun to challenge myself, despite the fact that my muscles AND bones were very much in "What the hell are we doing?!" mode.   As I kept climbing and sweating, the thought came to me that when something is worth it, you keep working even if you're tired and even when it seems like at some points, it's all uphill.   I laughed outloud at yet another life metaphor being a part of my day.

After a while, I saw a sign saying "Parking Area" with an arrow.  By this point, I was walking slowly, making a point of mindfully placing my feet on the trail because I was at the "trip over nothing because my legs are tired" stage.  As the trail ended and I saw my little red car, I put my hands up in the air and let out a "Whooohooo!"  I was very glad to reach the car and sit and cool down and even more glad that I'd made the hike. I took a moment to thank the forest and all who lived there for allowing me to come to their home and being a part of my beautiful day.

As my body cooled down and my protesting leg muscles, feet and ankles made the adjustment to being seated, I found myself thinking back on my 2 1/2 hour hike.  There was actually NO TIME on the  hike when I didn't have everything I needed in order to make it a great hike and successfully get back to my car in the time I'd designated.  I truly did have every resource I needed at every moment of that hike. There were times when I lost sight of that and got frustrated, angry and a little scared.  But when you're alone with your own soul and the Universe you can either remain disconnected or plug in.  If you plug in, you realize in quieting yourself and trusting yourself and that Connection, that you do have absolutely EVERYTHING you need - in every single moment.

I smiled again, thinking of what an amazing day it was and how so often I gain such clarity during these times alone out in nature.  I'll be back again to the wild places, as often as possible.  It feeds my soul.  What a perfect day,  I am so very grateful for it!

The Knight And The Dreamer (for pK)

Once upon a time
A knight and a dreamer
Met upon the road

The knight of course
Was brave and true of heart
Honor and Duty
His sacred vows

The dreamer
Head in the clouds
Gazed upon flowers and blue skies
And had a poet's heart

The journey to the next town was long
And so they talked as they walked along
The knight of his hopes
And the dreamer of making it real

They talked and laughed
They sang songs
And helped each other along the road
Their souls were kindred and it was good

After many days of walking
They came upon a fork in the road
Which choice to make?
They stood, uncertain

The signpost was clear
One road, to the town and safety
The other, to a place unknown
Where hopes become truth and dreams become reality

In the end, they went to the town
The knight, because honor dictated it be so
And the dreamer, out of fear
And so they walked on

Their choices weighed heavily on them
And so, although they both continued on
They were no longer kindred
And so their journey together was done

At times each would think back
To those days upon the road together
And each wanted to blame the other
But they knew the truth, each must own their own choices

So they held the joy of the remembered journey
In their hearts
And never forgot the lessons learned
The day they took the safe road

As the years went by
The knight came to understand
At times integrity to self and to love and truth
Must trump even honor

And the dreamer learned
That pretty visions
Can only become real
With risks taken and work done

The most important lesson of all, though
Was to cherish the gift of each and every soul met upon the road
We know not the number of days
That we shall have the joy of walking together

Foggy

A single drop
Travels the length of the mirror
Revealing one thin stripe of me
The rest, obscured in fog

Maybe tears are like that
Whether they be sorrow filled
Or tears of joy
People spill over
When we've kept the walls up too long
The river revealing our tender hearts