Soul-ly There

The moment I open the door, the brisk fall air greets me. 

I step into the aromas of nature.

 I recall the deep smell of pines in the winter.

The peaceful awakening of rain and life in spring.

The overwhelming scent of flowers blooming in summer.

And now, the crisp feeling of crinkling leaves in the fall.

I walk down my front steps to the colored leaves lying all around.

The grass is turning browner.

The sky is a mighty blue, and the sun is bright but low in the sky. The feeling of complete joy envelops me.

I dance down to the pavement and continue to the bridge over the stream.

I skip across, a grin spreading across my face . . . .

Everything melts away, and all that is left is my imagination and the woods. 

Nature is solely there.

The beautiful smells and the air and the feeling consume me and I am fully present in the woods.

The brook bubbling down. A breeze so light it barely touches the leaves. 

I come here so often, yet it is always a special adventure.

I reach the bottom of the stream, where it feeds into the bigger river. I bounce around, skipping through the water in my rain boots for a while, just enjoying the moment.

Suddenly, I catch a glimpse of a little cat making its way up to its favorite tree. Last winter I saw its footprints in the snow on the branches.

My heart skips a bit as I realize that I probably need to start walking back up. I want to finish my work before dinner.

I reach the bridge, and blow a kiss to the woods before I head up along the road towards home. 

When I get back, I check my watch, and I can’t believe it. I was only out there for 7 minutes.

But what a difference it made.