the nature of nature

The jungle doesn’t judge. As you weave your way through it’s lush umbrage, moving aside the greenery invading your path, it welcomes you. Even though your deep breath and snapping footsteps destroy it’s loud silence, it doesn’t hush you, but harmonizes with laughter and vibrance. The sticky gold oozing from a tree’s skin leeches onto yours as you ascend it’s branches. Barefoot in an effort to soak up the prosper of it’s blood, you climb to the canopy seemingly weightless. You nest in the tree tops in awe at the span of the sky, and smile.

The sky doesn’t lie. It won’t cheat you, or make you for a fool. With boundless color and fervor it entices your senses and screams your name. It invites the smell of freedom and peace to your nostrils and you literally breathe in it’s glory. It’s baffling breadth awakens you while the sun sets to sleep. A dome of dark hues settle inwards and the stars begin to twinkle into a broad band of luminosity stretching from one horizon to the other. Guided by constellations you are confidant to your path. With deep night the winds increase and blow through your body to push you forward as a sail, to back you, to keep you balanced. Almost as if to soothe your mood, the winds change and whirl you in all directions. You have the responsibility to decide where they will influence you. The clouds roll in and mask the night sky to deliver the most miraculous gift of all, and you stick out your tongue, thirsty.

The sea seems to rise from beneath you as the droplets start to fall. Rain kisses your cheeks and rinses away all the worry, fear, and sadness as it soaks to your core. You become a part of it all, encompassed in the showering reign. Pitter patter, the melody of mist offers the soundtrack to accompany the tramp of time. The estate of space will sing to you, and it’s better if you’re quiet. Your thoughts don’t matter, they simply get in the way. With breath and sigh you communicate with the present. Time to head ashore and dry off. The air you breathe understands, and settles. And the sand is soft to your toes.

The ground you traverse exists, and you bear upon it, and that’s it. That’s all there is. With nothing asked for in return it boasts with unimaginable variety, offering you a bountiful resource. Your steeped skin begins to quench as you bake next to the fire. The flames perform for you, strutting in cadence like a marching band. And you don’t have to entertain in answer, you don’t have to tell a story to the sleeping coals, though glowing so grand. You don’t have to speak to engage. They ask only for an attentive audience, a wide-eyed soul to whisper to. Your blushing skin almost too hot from those flirting flames. You are entranced.

With a sharp crackle and a loud POP from the fire you snap from your daze and shoot your gaze up, no, further up. Again the sky overwhelms your being as you absorb every star, every droplet of water in the sea, every grain of sand on the beach, every tickle of the flame. The frenzy of the instant engulfs you inside of it, and you remain timeless...

These are reasons why I took to the road alone. To connect with the colors, and brighten them. To free myself from the radical dramas of the blind. To come to terms and accept myself and (hopefully) flourish in the world’s bounty without greed, without mockery, criticism, or deceit. To be in control of myself, and not merely in the lee of another. So I guess, I'm seeking the truth that is so commonly found in nature, and just as easily lost in society. To only connect.