Notes from the Land: Listening to Nature
My heart is tuned to the quietness that the stillness of nature inspires
Hazrat Inayat Khan
It’s a brittle morning. The cold, ushering in the season of winter, has arrived full force. As I step out of the safety and warmth of my home, the wind wipes my face with a brutal blast. Do I really want to take a hike? I take several more steps into the cold air and feel the answer. Yes. Of course!
As my feet hit the path, dry leaves ringed in frost crunch loudly under my boots. It is the only sound that I can hear until I am well into the woods and then I stop…listen…smile…
I am hearing the silence of nature.
I begin to walk at a much slower pace now, loath to disturb the beautiful stillness that surrounds me. I pause frequently to hear the delicate woodland chatter. A few crows call in the distance, a couple of chickadees are scolding me for entering their space. The wind provides a backdrop of constant whooshing. I notice that I am breathing easier.
Ahead of me, a grey squirrel is poised on a tree trunk, tail twitching, wondering if I am a threat. I make a small movement, and the squirrel tears up the tree, out onto the smaller limbs and dives headfirst into a large nest of leaves. I laugh out loud, squirrel acrobatics are so amazing! As I gaze upward I begin to see more leaf nests and they are quite large. Does this mean a colder winter?
Moving as quietly as possible I continue walking and come upon a mass of scat in the middle of the trail. Closer inspection shows many grey hairs and bits of bone which suggests to me that a coyote that has found sustenance to get through another day. Are the hairs from a rabbit or squirrel?
At the overlook I gaze out onto the silhouettes of oak, cherry and pine. The green needles of the pine enhance the stark nakedness of the deciduous trees. The bare beauty of the dancing limbs brings fond memories of other trees I have climbed and hugged and loved. I remember the joy of sitting in the high branches of my grandma’s basswood tree. I smile again.
Approaching the end of the trail, I pause once more and close my eyes. I turn slowly in a small circle, listening carefully in each direction, allowing the silence of nature to fully embrace me. When I open my eyes, I feel lighter and happier. My hike today has yielded a gift so precious, so hard to grasp sometimes, and so very necessary in this loud world we live in. it is a quiet, peaceful mind offered by the silence of nature.
In this season of many “to-dos” with lots of running around, remember that it is a quiet time in the natural world. It is an excellent time to take a hike or a simple walk and refresh yourself with nature’s gift. In your back yard, neighborhood or a natural area near you, take the time to step away from the demands of the day and enter the silence of nature. Embrace it. You won’t regret it.
Photo credits: Winter landscape photo by Simon Berger on Unsplash. “Grey squirrel in snow” by George Chriss is licensed under CC BY 2.5. Frosty leaves photo by Natalie Kinnear on Unsplash.
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