Today's weather has me more fired up for spring then I've been in a long time. On my lunch break today I visited a park that is in my area, which contains a small nature preserve complete with a handful of short hiking trails, covering both forested and prairie areas. Despite the howling winds, I made a decision to spend my lunch traversing these trails.
The trails themselves were in good shape considering all of the melted snow turned large puddles that were scattered every which way. As I hopped over puddles, straddled trail edges, and looked for the most stable, slip resistant footing I could find, I found myself noticing the dance that the sun and clouds were having...a battle that the sun would ultimately lose before my break on the trail would end.
The wind was pushing me as hard as it could, trying to push me along the trail as if to help me along on my short journey. A hill and a right turn later found myself out of the winds teeth and in a place of peace and calm in the forest. The wind quickly just a memory, my attention turned to the serenity that now surrounded me. The leaves of fall were in their resting place from the previous autumn, the sticks from which they came pointed weightlessly in all directions.
As I continued on the path, leaves and stones crunching under my feet was the only sound in the air. I paused for a moment to take everything in. I could feel an energy all around me; nature may have still been asleep but its presence was very much alive. I can imagine what this same spot will look like in a month...or even two months, when nature's awakening is at its perfection. Looking skyward, the clouds were being poked by the upward extended branches and tree trunks. In odd fashion, some of the tree tops were swayed wildly by the winds while the others barely moved at all.
The silence and tranquility around me was abruptly interrupted by the alarm of my Blackberry, signaling to me that my all too short lunch break was coming to a close. I grudgingly turned back, and almost at the exact moment I took a left where I had earlier taken a right, the March winds, and reality slapped heavy into me. The irony of pushing against the force of nature to go back to work where I would be pushing against the red tape of corporate America was not lost on me. Oh well...only 23 hours until my next lunch break.
The trails themselves were in good shape considering all of the melted snow turned large puddles that were scattered every which way. As I hopped over puddles, straddled trail edges, and looked for the most stable, slip resistant footing I could find, I found myself noticing the dance that the sun and clouds were having...a battle that the sun would ultimately lose before my break on the trail would end.
The wind was pushing me as hard as it could, trying to push me along the trail as if to help me along on my short journey. A hill and a right turn later found myself out of the winds teeth and in a place of peace and calm in the forest. The wind quickly just a memory, my attention turned to the serenity that now surrounded me. The leaves of fall were in their resting place from the previous autumn, the sticks from which they came pointed weightlessly in all directions.
As I continued on the path, leaves and stones crunching under my feet was the only sound in the air. I paused for a moment to take everything in. I could feel an energy all around me; nature may have still been asleep but its presence was very much alive. I can imagine what this same spot will look like in a month...or even two months, when nature's awakening is at its perfection. Looking skyward, the clouds were being poked by the upward extended branches and tree trunks. In odd fashion, some of the tree tops were swayed wildly by the winds while the others barely moved at all.
The silence and tranquility around me was abruptly interrupted by the alarm of my Blackberry, signaling to me that my all too short lunch break was coming to a close. I grudgingly turned back, and almost at the exact moment I took a left where I had earlier taken a right, the March winds, and reality slapped heavy into me. The irony of pushing against the force of nature to go back to work where I would be pushing against the red tape of corporate America was not lost on me. Oh well...only 23 hours until my next lunch break.