In recent months, news from the human world has spoken of chaos and confusion: war in Ukraine and the Middle East, political strife at home and abroad, factions working against each other rather than uniting for the common good. It’s easy to get caught in an endless internal loop of negative thoughts: frustrations with the present, fears for the future. We tend to forget that human concerns are just a small part of a much larger reality.
We humans are part of a vast, interconnected web that encompasses the whole Earth and all its creatures, and extends far beyond into the immensity of the cosmos. Human history is a mere flicker in the timespan of the universe. If the four and a half billion years since Earth’s creation were compressed into a single day, creatures we would recognize as human would appear only in the final six seconds. Our written history would cover only the last one-tenth of a second.
In our short time on the planet, we have wreaked considerable havoc, not just on each other but on the natural systems that sustain us. We must learn to do better. But the work ahead can seem overwhelming. Anxiety and despair are not ideal mental states from which to initiate constructive action.
Sometimes, before we move forward, we need to retreat and refocus. I invite you to step outside, away from the clamor of the human world, and immerse yourself in the larger community of life. You need not go far. A local pond, a patch of woods, even your backyard will be enough, if you go mindfully. Press the pause button on your mental chatter and let the natural world flow in through all your senses. Just for a moment, let go of past and future. Simply be a part of all that is, resting in the grace of your kinship with clouds and trees and the living soil beneath your feet.
May that connection heal you, nourish you, and strengthen you for the onward path.
In this spirit, I hope you will join me on a (virtual) walk through the Maine Woods at fall’s peak:
