Muir Quote 04.26.07

"Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop like autumn leaves."
~John Muir
"Our National Parks"

This quote perfectly describes how I feel when I am able to steal away on a hike or hidden path. When the wind blows I can feel it tinglie throughout my entire body like the blood in my veins is bubbling with excitement. Getting caught up in the moment and movement around you makes your thoughts, cares and worries drift away in the breeze, or as beautifully put by Muir, "drop like autumn leaves."
And nothing comes close to the excitement I get from being outside in a thunderstorm. I have been fortunate enough to have spent some time in Italy when I was younger. I lived for a month in a little town just below the Italian Alps called Udine. Over the month I got to watch numerous thunderstorms creeping slowly over the looming mountains towards our house. With just wooden shutters covering the windows I had no screen to hinder the view from my second story bedroom.

Two Seeds 04.20.07

"Two seeds lay side by side in the fertile spring soil.
The first seed said: 'I want to grow!
I want to send my roots deep into the soil beneath me, and
thrust my sprouts through the earth's crust above me..
I want to unfurl my tenders buds like banners
to announce the arrival or spring...
I want to feel the warmth of the sun on my face and
the blessing of the morning dew on my petals!'

AND SO THE FIRST SEED GREW...

The second seed said: 'I am afraid.
If I sned my roots into the ground below,
I don't know what I will encounter in the dark.
If I push my way through the hard soil above me
I may damage my delicate sprouts...
What if I let my buds open and a snail tries to eat them?
And if I were to open my blossoms,
a small child may pull me from the ground.
No; It is much better for me to wait until it is safe."

AND SO THE SECOND SEED WAITED...

A yard hen happened by one day and
started scratching around in the early spring ground for food...
found the waiting seed and promptly ate it.
Moral of this story:
Those of us who refuse to risk and grow,
could get swallowed up in life."
~Original Source Unknown

I happened upon this quote in my weekly Ripples Newsletter. I receive the e-mail once a week and it contains inspiring quotes to get you through the week.
One thing that I find really interesting about nature writing is how you can connect its concepts and put them to use in your own life, such as the seeds in this story or in the fables of Aesop. This story has a great moral. So many people get caught up in a monotonous routine or stuck in a rut and do nothing to help themselves find a way out. They wind up letting life pass by because they were too scared of failing. I am more scared about missing out on opportunties than I am of failing.

I would recommend checking out the Ripples website and subscribing to the newsletter.
http://TheRipplesProject.org

Thoreau Quotes & Responses 04.17.07

"-even these forms of penance are hardly more incredible and astonishing than the scenes which I daily witness. The twelve labors of Hercules were trifling in comparison with those my neighbors have undertaken; for they were only twelve, and had an end; but I could never see that these men slew or captured any monster or finished any labor. They have no friend Iolas to burn with a hot iron the root of the hydra's head, but as soon as one head is crushed, two spring up."
~ Henry David Thoreau
"Economy"
Walden

I really enjoy the reference to mythology and I feel that this reference is especially helpful in getting Thoreau's point across. In this passage he is comparing the trials of his neighbor to the twelve labors of Hercules. He says that even though his neighbors may be battling labors harder than those of Hercules, they have nothing to show for it. No monster to show off as their prize and nothing to show for their work. Their labors are never ending while Hercules was done after twelve.

"I trust that nothing can make life a burden to me. The gentle rain which waters my beans and keeps me in the house to-day is not drear and melancholy, but good for me too. Though it prevents my hoeing them, it is of far more worthy than my hoeing. If it should continue so long as to cause the seeds to rot in the ground and destroy the potatoes in the low lands, it would still be good for the grass on the uplands, and, being good for the grass, it would be good for me."
~Henry David Thoreau
"Solitude"
Walden

I really enjoyed this passage. Thoreau manages to see the brighter side of the rain, even though it keeps him locked up inside of his house he knows that in the long run it is going to help him out by helping his beans grow. Or if it rains too much and kills his beans, it is still good for his surrounding environment and for him that is still good. While most people would focus on their loss of food, Thoreau does not see it as a burden or doesn't allow himself to see it as a burden.

Running 04.11.07

I LOVE to run... Not only is it great exercise, but it's time that I get to myself. Even if just for a half hour it's my time away from school, work and friends. There is nothing like the thrill of the wind against my face and the earth under my feet. Usually I run to the beat of the tunes jamming through my Ipod, but on this particular day I decided to ditch the Ipod and let the sounds around me be the soundtrack to my jog.
The sounds surrounding me were unusually loud. Each one amplified without my music drowning it out. A pair of charcoal black birds chirped excitedly above my head chasing each other like two little kids playing tag.
My feet hitting the ground seemed to echo through my body. The dirt gave into the pounding of my feet. Every so often a leaf would crunch or a twig would snap under my weight.
Out of the corner of my eye I caught a lizard laying out basking in the sunlight that poured down from the sky. I found myself a becoming slightly jealous that this little creature had nothing better to do than lay out and tan.
Because it was such a gorgeous day, I had to share the trail with other joggers. I noticed that most of them were sucked into the tunes flowing through the headphones of their own Ipods. I almost felt bad that they were missing out on nature's own music that was far more harmonious than anything they could have been listening to.

Purple Needle Grass 04.10.07

The tall thin stalks bend under the force of the wind. Even the lightest touch pushes them towards the ground. In the constant battle of heat, rain, cold and gusts the plant holds its own. It's delicate nature in the wind is deceiving of the strenght of the roots which hold fast to the ground. I try to pull it out, but the roots refuse to give in. Stuck in a cat's game of tug-a-war, I give in before the plant does. The plant stands its ground, undisrupted.

Reflection 04.07.07

It's incredible that with the billions of people sharing this planet you are still able to find a hideaway to enjoy in solitude. A place where to the left and right, in front and behind of you there is no one. Away from the hustle of city streets, the glow of neon lights and the obnoxious beeping of electronic devices, I heard nothing.
Perched on a rock I watched as the sun set, lighting up the sky with many hues of red and orange and yellow as if the heavens were just set on fire. And I had to share it with no one.
In this moment I was able to be completely selfish as if I was keeping the sunset a secret from the rest of the world. A private light show that was being put on just for myself.

Poly Canyon 04.05.07

Sycamores
Gnarly and entwined, a result of unsure paths taken
as the branches reach out and retreat back,
only to grow in another direction.
As one would retreat to plan B when A does not succeed.
The enormous tree offers shade to the stream in exchange for the cool drink of water.
An example of mutualism as both the stream and tree benefit from each others presence.

The Canyon
The canyon streches out in a rolling sea of green just momentarily before the summer sun steals back the rain spring so graciously dealt.
The tiny snow white blooms seam to enjoy the moderate temperatures before the heavy heat lays them down.