When I was walking the other night on the nature trail near my parents home in central PA, I stumbled upon a patch purple flowers. These flowers where among a field of weeds and poison ivy, yet they grew tall and beautiful along the trail. Many trail users road and walked passed them without any acknowledgement. This mad me feel very sad. When i reached the flowers, I stood there and reflected on my own existence for several moments and compared it to their fragile existence. So often something beautiful is surrounded by a mess of situations and the charm is forgot about. They are merely overlooked and not appreciated for their uniqueness.
Being away from "like-minded" wilderness lovers, while being in the city, can make one feel strange and out of place. People don't know or understand how to love the solitude and awe of being alone in the natural world. The wilderness is missing from their lives and they don't know how to let it back in. The networks of their daily routine skips over the value of simple things.
I felt the spirit of the flowers say "look at me, look at me" when I was in visit with them. I replied "you are very beautiful my darlings, never forget that." Moments later, the wind sent a hushing roll through the trees and the flowers danced in the breeze almost as if they became full of bliss from my appreciation of them.
Take time to love the natural world. Open your hearts to hear the whispers of the flora and fauna that surround you. Secrets lie deep in the natural world. We are only open to experience these secrets if we take time to slow down and talk to the flowers.
Have a blessed Thursday. Katie