 |
| Walking and Solitude |
Near my home is the most wonderful nature preserve, Wintergarden Park. It has walking trails through a huge meadow and also a woods. On this day I picked the path around the meadow, and the stillness was comforting.
During this hustle and bustle time of year, I find there is nothing better than taking time to get out into nature.
Today, as the longest night of the year holds the Northern Hemisphere in darkness, I'm thinking about the year that is almost finished.
It is a good time for reflection. The quiet time of winter gives me many hours to read and write and contemplate how I can make the New Year that is coming the best year I've lived so far.
In the 60 plus years I've walked on this planet, I've accomplished quite a lot. I've raised a family, earned a Masters degree, been a teacher, an accountant, and now a grandmother. I've taught myself life skills that now in my slower, older days not only bring me many hours of entertainment, they also enhance my life. Things like knitting and crocheting, cooking and preserving foods I've grown or bought, sewing, quilting. When I was younger these skills were important to living a frugal life while raising a family, now I find them not only frugal pursuits, but enjoyable hobbies.
These old hobbies and new ones give me many hours of fun and entertainment during the long hours of darkness during winter. When I take walks like this, I find the solitude of nature - its blanketing quiet - is such a source for inspiration. The soft colors of nature, the sounds of birds singing and reeds rustling, the smell of damp earth all mingle together and open my mind to new ideas and inspire new pursuits.
Here's to walking and solitude and contemplation. Onward to the new year!
