As a rancher's daughter growing up near a small rural town I had all the amenities nature could provide. An adventurous stroll down by the creek into the mystical (in my mind) wooded area was an everyday activity. Even as a typical teenager I would find myself venturing out to see what new things I could discover. It wasn't until I moved away for college that I realized how lucky I was to have had such a wonderful "backyard". I quickly began to miss my expeditions into the great outdoors; you can't ask for much more than to be one with nature. Nature might just be the most peaceful, precious, unpredictable, honest, and underappreciated attribute to our world.
During my serene walk through the River Legacy Park my memories of days ago wandered back into my mind. The cascading song of the locust played continuously as I walked across the forest floor, reminding me for the first time that I have yet to catch one this summer. I had also forgotten how captivating the dragonfly could be; a soothing sensation came over me as my new found friend searched for a place to take a rest. Surprisingly, dragonfly's best friend butterfly was fluttering around from flower to flower. Yes, it is true that many of us can see these two beautiful insects anywhere, but do you see them amongst the vast trees shielded from the chaotic hustle and bustle of that thing we call life? I think not. You truly can't appreciate them until you are in their refreshing "true" element.
Hesitating leaving behind the two friends' entertainment I slowly continued on the path ahead to discover the luscious green land full with trees. A brief stop at the creek caught me magnifying the area to discover the "original weaver", the spider and his wondrous web of wonder. I was fascinated by his structure. I warped back into my childhood self as my journey continued. I took a deeper look into every tree, bug, flower, seed, bird and sound as if they were brand new. I was in heaven watching the small wonders that make up nature.
Sad, but true I realized while on my drive home that even this "country girl" had wandered away from her love of nature. So, if I can stray from the joys of nature, then those who have never known the joys may never find it. With this being said, I realized how underappreciated and overlooked our precious natural environment is, but with more inspiring people like those at River Legacy maybe the awareness of our "small wonders" will be taken to a new level. Luckily, I have been reacquainted with my old love and now I am newly inspired to share with others.
1 comment:
WOW. I loved this piece. We see your journey back to the past to venture back to the present with some sense of who you are. I think we all need to make this realization.
How will you encourage your students to return or visit the "honesty" of nature? How can we promote this on writing in this context?
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