Tag: outside

  • Worldly

    Draped among the branches  Happiness abounds  Yellow finches bathing  In a recess on a granite cliff  Unusually quiet  Beautiful and desolate  And as remote as the moon 

  • Roots

    Growing up with a mother who landscaped and a grandmother who we joked only fed us nuts and berries, I spent much of my time growing up outside.  Being born in the early 80s and not getting a cell phone until 1999 (when I was 16!), I didn’t have the distraction of social media or…

  • Devastation

    Every school year, I counted down the days to the beginning of summer break. I was the only time I never had any rules and only a few responsibilities. I was naturally an early riser and every summer day I was up before the summer sun. There were too many places to explore on the…

  • My Sanctuary

    I had always been told never to enter the forest. My parents told me the woods were dangerous but never explained why. Which obviously made me want to go every waking moment they were not watching. I spent more time in the forest than I did in my own bedroom. I kept waiting for my parents…

  • Night Drives

    The weekends were always my favorite because I had no rules.   Once school and my Friday chores were done, I disappeared and only showed up for dinner on Saturday and Sunday nights.  We had recently moved onto a farm and I was too busy finding all the best hiding places and just exploring in general.  I needed to know the land like…

  • As Good As It Gets

    “It’s about as good a day as you’re going to get,” I told my younger brother.  Jake had been glued to the television all day playing some video game and it was seventy five and sunny outside.  “I’ll give you about ten more minutes to play and then you’ll have to come outside.  No excuses.”  As I left his room, I heard him…

  • The Window

    “We don’t have any windows.  How do we not have any windows?”  I took a deep breath and tried to calm my beating heart.  I was claustrophobic and if there weren’t windows in the hotel room, the walls started closing in.  “I was told there were windows,” Jeff said sensing my anxiety.  He gently took my arm and led…

  • Springtime Sun

    “The sun is bringing my life back,” I whispered to myself.  “This is exactly where I need to be.”    I stared at the clear blue sky and smiled.  I knew there was something off every day while I was visiting my friends, but I could never exactly put my finger on it.  I now knew what it was.  We…

  • Gently Flowing Creek

    The stones were singing to me the moment I stepped into the gently flowing creek.  Singing to welcome me home and to ask me what had taken so long.  I sat on the edge of the river and let the cool water wash away the problems of the day.    I always regretted not coming to…