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Posts from the ‘Nature’ Category

Jun 14

Narrow Path, Beauty Abundant

“And into the forest I go, to lose my mind and find my soul”― John Muir

“It seems to me that the natural world is the greatest source of excitement; the greatest source of visual beauty; the greatest source of intellectual interest. It is the greatest source of so much in life that makes life worth living.”― David Attenborough

Wandering
Wondering
Exploration
Beauty
Fresh air
Relaxation
Reflection
Reset
Realignment
Renewal
Compound interest
Economy of Delight, Pause, Praise
Refill your tank
Daily

“Of all the paths you take in life, make sure a few of them are dirt.”― John Muir

May 22

Riches of Wonder

“encounter the mystery and wonder of unsuspected instants. Let us dip into the marvel of the budding and the blooming” ― Erik Pevernagie

“And the deer–
how beautiful they are,
as though their bodies did not impede them.
Slowly they drift into the open
though bronze panels of sunlight.”
― Louise Glück, The House on Marshland

Sometimes seeking and searching
Sometimes beauty finds you
Too many times, passing by without notice
To be awake
To see delight
In stillness
Wonder strolls in, an invitation
To be found and held
Embrace of mystery, awe, reverence
Partaker of joy

“If your daily life seems poor, do not blame it; blame yourself that you are not poet enough to call forth its riches; for the Creator, there is no poverty.” – Rainer Maria Rilke

“Live bold, without fear. This is life amongst the deer.”― Katelyn S. Bolds

May 16

Hints of Gladness

“And see the peaceful trees extend
their myriad leaves in leisured dance—
they bear the weight of sky and cloud
upon the fountain of their veins.”― Kathleen Raine

WHEN I AM AMONG THE TREES
by Mary Oliver

When I am among the trees,
especially the willows and the honey locust,
equally the beech, the oaks and the pines,
they give off such hints of gladness.
I would almost say that they save me, and daily.
I am so distant from the hope of myself,
in which I have goodness, and discernment,
and never hurry through the world
but walk slowly, and bow often.
Around me the trees stir in their leaves
and call out,
“Stay awhile.”The light flows from their branches.
And they call again, “It’s simple,” they say,
“and you too have come
into the world to do this, to go easy, to be filled
with light, and to shine.”

Hints of gladness
Slivers of light
Slices of awe
Enter the narrow gate
Threshold to peace
Crossover
Walk slow, deliberately
Look up and around
Dance with beauty
Stay awhile
Bow often.

“Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under trees on a summer’s day, listening to the murmur of the water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time.”― John Lubbock, The Use Of Life

Apr 30

Spirit of Infancy and Awe

“In the presence of nature, a wild delight runs through the man, in spite of real sorrows. Nature says, — he is my creature, and maugre all his impertinent griefs, he shall be glad with me”― Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nature

“The lover of nature is he whose inward and outward senses are still truly adjusted to each other; who has retained the spirit of infancy even into the era of manhood.”― Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nature

Radiance of the world.
Power of nature.
To transform, transmit, transcend.
Winter melting to spring.
Wild delights, simple pleasures.
Slow down, pull over, look around.
Let peace enter and beauty flow.

“The poet, the painter, the sculptor, the musician, the architect, seek each to concentrate this radiance of the world on one point, and each in his several work to satisfy the love of beauty which stimulates him to produce.”― Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nature

Apr 25

1 Comment

For the Beauty of the Earth Springing

“One touch of nature makes the whole world kin.” — William Shakespeare

“For the beauty of the earth,
for the glory of the skies,
for the love which from our birth
over and around us lies;
Lord of all, to thee we raise
this our hymn of grateful praise.

For the beauty of each hour
of the day and of the night,
hill and vale, and tree and flower,
sun and moon, and stars of light;
Lord of all, to thee we raise
this our hymn of grateful praise.

“For the joy of ear and eye,
for the heart and mind’s delight,
for the mystic harmony,
linking sense to sound and sight;
Lord of all, to thee we raise
this our hymn of grateful praise.” – Folliot S. Pierpoint

Awestruck
Beauty
Silenced to reverence
To moments where heaven meets earth
Nature showing how to be fully alive
Spring, Easter, Resurrection
Unfolding and unfurling
For the sense to sing hymns of grateful praise.

“I go to nature to be soothed and healed, and to have my senses put together.” — John Burroughs

Oct 17

Infinite Expectations

“I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived. I did not wish to live what was not life, living is so dear; nor did I wish to practise resignation, unless it was quite necessary. I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life, to live so sturdily and Spartan-like as to put to rout all that was not life, to cut a broad swath and shave close, to drive life into a corner, and reduce it to its lowest terms…”― Henry David Thoreau

“We must learn to reawaken and keep ourselves awake, not by mechanical aids, but by an infinite expectation of the dawn, which does not forsake us even in our soundest sleep. I know of no more encouraging fact than the unquestionable ability of man to elevate his life by a conscious endeavour. It is something to be able to paint a particular picture, or to carve a statue, and so to make a few objects beautiful; but it is far more glorious to carve and paint the very atmosphere and medium through which we look, which morally we can do. To affect the quality of the day, that is the highest of arts.”― Henry David Thoreau, Walden or, Life in the Woods

Get out
Of your head
Of the constant stream of scarcity, doom and fear
Of opinions, judgment, assumptions, assertions, othering
Tonic of wilderness, play, laughter, beauty, light, joy
Abundance overflowing to partake in
My Dad taught us to always fill the gas tank when it’s half full, so you don’t run out
Don’t wait until it’s almost empty, on fumes
Fill ‘er up
Play, wander, explore
Slowing and savoring
Repeat often, be made new daily
Nature calls so we can reclaim our own true nature
To do the work for the long haul, with generosity and a happy heart
Stay awake
Live deliberately

“We need the tonic of wildness…At the same time that we are earnest to explore and learn all things, we require that all things be mysterious and unexplorable, that land and sea be indefinitely wild, unsurveyed and unfathomed by us because unfathomable. We can never have enough of nature.”― Henry David Thoreau, Walden: Or, Life in the Woods

Aug 29

Bloom Recklessly

“Colors are the smiles of nature.” – Leigh Hunt

“Everything is blooming most recklessly; if it were voices instead of colors, there would be an unbelievable shrieking into the heart of the night.” – Rainer Maria Rilke

Bloom
Recklessly
All seasons
Colorful palette
Paint
Hues
Bright
Brilliant
Beautiful
Enter nature and let it enter you.

“Nature always wears the colors of the spirit.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Aug 1

Wild Things Gazing

“Hidden in the glorious wildness like unmined gold.”― John Muir

“When despair for the world grows in me
and I wake in the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought
of grief. I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars
waiting with their light. For a time
I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.” – Wendell Berry

Withing arms reach, embrace
Outside the door, cross the threshold
The ground before, walk it out
The wild things, the peace and grace
Forest green, woven in plain sight
Slowness to see required
Wonder and awe to enter
Unmined gold
Of nature, not man
Dig daily.

“In every walk with Nature one receives far more than he seeks.”― John Muir

May 14

Rising Up Rooted

“If we surrendered
to earth’s intelligence
we could rise up rooted, like trees.”
― Rainer Maria Rilke, Rilke’s Book of Hours: Love Poems to God

“Perhaps all the dragons in our lives are princesses who are only waiting to see us act, just once, with beauty and courage. Perhaps everything that frightens us is, in its deepest essence, something helpless that wants our love.”― Rainer Maria Rilke, Letters to a Young Poet

How we think of things
The work behind the work
The stories we tell
Plot twist
Draw into mystery rather than false certainty
Inquiry, attention, listening
A new story unfolding
Blank page to be written
Broaden, deepen, widen
Widening circles
Deep roots
New risings

“I live my life in widening circles that reach out across the world.”― Rainer Maria Rilke, Rilke’s Book of Hours: Love Poems to God

Apr 30

Patches and Streams

“Any patch of sunlight in a wood will show you something about the sun which you could never get from reading books on astronomy. These pure and spontaneous pleasures are ‘patches of Godlight’ in the woods of our experience.”― C.S. Lewis

“…May I live this day
Compassionate of heart,
Clear in word,
Gracious in awareness,
Courageous in thought,
Generous in love.”― John O’Donohue, Benedictus: A Book of Blessings

Ever-present
Curious, open, welcoming
In the details
In anticipation
In spontaneous, simple pleasures
Patches and streams of light woven through this very day.

“Everything in life opens and closes, sheds and renews. We are no different.” – Mark Nepo

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