It is a beautiful sunny spring weekend here where I live. Dreamy and I walked local walking tracks around the Blue Lake and the Leg of Mutton, both volcanic in nature. Spring was in magnificent expression through the bird life, grasses, and flowers everywhere we walked.
The older I get the more I appreciate the simple things. Instead of the pressure of the world around me, I choose to spend it in nature where there is no imminent pressure. Perhaps I’m tired, or perhaps I am finally appreciating the slow undercurrent of peace that lies within us all.
I know even recently I have fallen for the pressure I feel in my work and those around me. I am speaking here of the pressure to achieve, perform and compete. Somehow it tweaks my insecurities, and I am back on the treadmill of life.
But there is a slower life, one which demands nothing of us but to stop and listen. It is here where we find ourselves, and peace. Instead of listening to the voices of pressure, listen to the gentleness of nature. Within every tree and plant there is a freshness, a sweetness of presence. If we listen to this presence, we become more at peace.
It is not always easy to stop and listen; one must make a determined effort. I find nature to be the best antidote to the stresses of life. The rhythm of walking is my way of expressing my frustrated thoughts without hurting others. This rhythm relaxes me and as I express my feelings through each step I slowly wind down and notice my surroundings. It is peaceful in this place.
Nature is another world to me, one to which my body, rather than my mind, is attuned. Slowed down, I can hear my body and feel its peace with nature. There is no fight within me, simply a flow with the world around me.
Perhaps you need to wind down. Walking is my way out of my mind. Do you have a way to peace? Some find meditation, others find prayer or music helpful. Either way, it is where we find love.
In love, Jenny
