I wandered into the backwoods of my aunt and uncles property yesterday to cut some trees for firewood. The air was cool beneath the quiet dark, and we roamed it slowly, searching for crop of deadwood still standing that we had seen before. On the way we happened upon something unexpected, a patch of wild berries, which we stopped awhile to eat. And sitting for a time beneath the swaying limbs of trees, my mind was coaxed to life by the sweetness of the nectar and something inexplicable beneath the ever-dark’ning woods, thoughts of wild berries and cut firewood give way to something larger.
It’s an odd thing to do a job which men before have done for thousands of years — and roam beneath a forest older than even the town it now encircles. Something about it brings strange aspirations and feelings to mind. Here, life is simple, traditional… satisfying. I have noticed something interesting while sitting on my chair overlooking the woods. Thoughts seem to set their own pace. In the city where I grew up, thoughts seem more hurried, more in want of solutions than of anything else, and they stomp through the mind in search of their answers. But here in the woods, thoughts seem more a restless wanderer, inviting me to along to see what may be found. And what are we looking for? Perhaps nothing at all. Perhaps simply marveling at life, overtaken by that familiar deep sense of well-being just to be alive at all. A storm’s coming. Glad to have the firewood underneath the woodshed.
4 Comments
ben, some of my most inspiring moments have come in the woods. they bring on an easier pace and there is something about being in the unrestricted wild surrounded by life. hope you enjoyed the peace and the berries.
I knew if I looked hard enough I would find you! Miss you over on hubpages.
The other day my husband and I were riding on the 4 wheeler back on the ranch when we came accross a muskidine vine. Though none of them were ripe yet I would have loved to try one. I have never tried them and would have loved to.
Brian, that’s cool that you and I share a similar respect for the woods. I definitely enjoyed the wild berries. They were raspberries.
Alissa, I miss you all as well. I’m super bummed I don’t get to hang out on HubPages anymore
Thanks for checking in on me and saying hello. I’m gonna try and come back to HP before too long if I can. I hope all is well.
This was a beautiful and satisfying retreat for a reader (me!). I miss the smell of firewood, as we have a gas stove in our living room. The annual purchase of firewood that had to be split and stacked was a big event in my life in my 30s and 40s. What great exercise it is, and the rewards are rich.