I’ve been camping and doing nothing in particular in northern Minnesota for the last week. It’s been a long time since I’ve travelled without a plan or itinerary and it feels really refreshing. I have a pretty low key life in general, but it often feels clenched and tight like a balled fist. What a relief it is to let everything go. I love the sense of freedom on the road. An alternate reality presents itself. I quickly forget about…
I’ve seen a lot of amazing places over the last week or so. I drove from the Columbia River Gorge through the rippling brown grasslands of eastern Oregon and Washington, through the sweeping evergreen mountains of Idaho, and into the big sky country of Montana. Each place I visited captured my imagination, but none so much as Glacier National Park, where I have been for the last several days. There are no words to describe it and pictures cannot begin…
Summer is here! I went for a paddle on Laurel Lake in Erving with a neighbor this evening, which was a great way to ring in this vibrant season. As I started paddling, I found myself veering off in a weird and unexpected direction, unable to control myself. It took me a few seconds before I realized that I was on my paddle board backwards. I laughed and said, “Well, that basically sums up the way my day has been. …
It’s my birthday! And that means it’s time for my annual birthday blog post. This year, I’m spending it in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, where we are camping and hiking for several days. Our campsite is right on the Little River at Elkmont Campground, and apparently, we lucked out by getting what veteran campers here refer to as “the primo site” (Site F8, if you happen to be going there). And I can see why! It’s private, quiet,…
I have a confession to make. I have been dreading winter since the last dreamy, verdant weeks of summer. But as summer turned to autumn and then autumn to winter, I have found myself befriending the cold, quiet days and the long, dark nights. The air feels crisp and invigorating on my face during my contemplative wanderings through the woods. There is a stillness that fills the forest, which I find peaceful and soothing, and the early nightfall gives me…
I’m finally relaxing after a long, draining day – and wouldn’t you know? It’s absolutely beautiful out! Actually, perfect is the word that comes to mind. The temperature is just right. A refreshing breeze dances through the treetops. The sky is heavenly-blue with just the slightest wisp of white lazily drifting by. The chipmunks are bolding claiming their territory, seemingly popping out of every nook and cranny. I’ve just picked a bountiful load of peas and strawberries from the garden. And…
April 21, 2017 Today, I am honoring myself. It is my 40th birthday and I am spending it outdoors in the wilderness of Guadalupe Mountains National Park in Texas. I can think of no better way to celebrate than by reveling in the wonders of the natural world. I cannot think of anywhere else that I would feel such a sense of peace and connection with the grand web of life – a connection which particularly bears reflecting on as…
I have a skylight above my bed. It’s my own rectangular slice of of sky. I usually wake up many times during the night, and each time I see a slightly different configuration of stars winking at me, keeping me company as I lay awake in the dark, quiet night. Sometimes I fall back asleep right away, and other times I lay there watching as the sky slowly shifts with the earth’s rotation. Today, I went for a hike with…
Yesterday at work, I noticed a poinsettia plant forgotten and slowly dying on top of a filing cabinet. With sadness in my heart, I asked myself, “How could I have let this suffer so?” To be alive is to suffer, and to suffer is to be alive. There is no doubt that suffering is hard and sometimes brutally unbearable, but it is an inescapable law of nature. I woke up this morning cloaked in my own suffering. I thought to…
Tonight is the full Sap Moon. As I look at my window, I can see the opal light glowing on the maples, brushing the buds with a soft celestial kiss. It is rising steadily over the mountains of Wendell, up and up, arching over my humble home, and it will soon shine through my window, keeping me awake with its taunting lunar gaze. I imagine it saying, “Come dance with me.” I think there is a little bit of Doug…