New Earth Wisdom

As I walked outside onto the wood steps, I heard my footsteps begin to echo against the mountains beyond. I paused to look around at my cherry tree, which had been raining what looked like pink snow droplets in an array of patterns that were illuminated by the morning’s pattern of sunlight through leaves.

Invigorated by the beauty in front of me, I stepped onto the soft ground to walk underneath the beautiful cherry tree. As if it could hear my heart opening to the beauty, a single petal landed on my finger as I gazed up at the canopy of pink, white and green.

I walked through the grass passing purple lilacs, daffodils, and dandelions bursting with color amidst the patterns of various colored mosses. Eventually the moss turned to taller grass.

I gazed up at the sun as it shone the perfect amount of warmth, morning and cheer. The sky was completely blue, as if the beautiful color had encouraged the clouds to pass by and continue on.

I turned a corner that provided complete shade for a moment due to its uphill structure. The hill was lined with trees that bent toward me, and ivy clung heavily to both the trees and the hill. Tiny purple flowers dotted the ivy, and a few beautifully colored, chirping birds as well as squirrels could be seen amongst the tall, leaning trees. I smiled at the scene before moving on.

Suddenly, the path began to reveal meadows and gardens, some shrouded by shade and others waking up to sunlight. I could see the frost on the grass shimmering in the sun as though each blade had been fitted with a silvery shine. I saw nearby smoke in a chimney. The smells of woodsmoke, pungent flowers and Earth waking up excited my senses.

As I walked further, I looked over to see a river of green made of all living things. A green Japanese maple took over a large portion of a section of grass, blending seamlessly into long grass as though it was just a pattern of higher ground. Green flowers and clovers sprouted all around a nearby weeping willow. The grass continued up a mountain of rocks, as though it needed more room to show the distinct green color.

Just beyond was another meadow dotted with purple and yellow flowers, as well as some brown leaves in piles. Everything looked as though it had been placed exactly in neat areas, or painted by someone with the intention to show the beauty of nature. As the green continued to fade, I saw the path I was on open up to a walk alongside dark water. Alongside the water were sticks and algae. I heard the calls of larger birds in the distance, and trees lined the walk along the river.

As my steps fell into rhythm, I found my breath flowing with the rhythm of the swaying tree branches that blew from light wind. I felt the flow of my breath start to slow, like the pace of the nearby river.

As if timing couldn’t be any more perfect, I found a swinging bench that had a view of the river to sit down on. I nestled into the bench, wrapping my jacket around me to protect me from the chilly morning wind. I gazed out into the river and watched patterns of water, trees, sky and nature moving along. Within my stillness, I felt as though I was a part of this scenery. I felt the patterns of nature within me. I felt the softness of the moss, the warmth of the sun, the sounds of nature echoing in my ears, and I became still enough for the wind to blow with me.