I’m not going to get all caught up with my usual array of false promises to myself this year, especially since I did that in my last post, which was so last year, but I am going to start this first day of 2012 with a tiny little post, which might be followed by another post tomorrow, and so on for a good spell down the road. From there, we’ll see.
Today we, including our extended family of North Carolina visitors, took a walk in the woods of the Oakland hills. As we strolled along, further and further from our cars, the kids scampered happily ahead and we walked and chatted and rearranged ourselves and walked and chatted. The trees grew thicker and the conversations grew deeper. The light worked down through the oak leaves and pine needles, leaving bits and pieces of shadow here and there, and the trees breathed out oxygen as we rounded turns, climbed canyons, and wiggled through the forest.
Walking and talking. It may take a village (i.e. youtube tutorial videos) to raise a child, but sometimes it takes a forest to raise the quality of life in the village, not just as an escape, not just a place to work out your lungs and legs, but as a place of deep reflection on village life, a holy land from which we return, if we are very lucky, a better villager.
If I knew how, I’d post a photo of my own personal forest which I see out my windows. I rely on the restorative powers of the forest. Your walk sounds lovely and has got me off my butt to take one of my own. Add rain.