It happens when I inhale the scent of grass and flowers, the earthy smell of soil and air clearer and fresher, than in city. Thats when contentment settles upon me, and as I take each step society and all its ills seem more distant and less important. As I move, natures beauty surrounds me and I come closer to the planet, her solace and comfort and closer to me.
It's like I open up to the world and to myself, any feelings left tucked away, stifled by the stresses, pressures and fast-paced moments of life in the city, blossom, unfurl like a flower and I feel like I become...myself.
I took this image
I feel everything.
The sun makes my skin tingle with warmth, a lovely counterpoint to the cooling breezes. Those breezes tease my hair, locks of silver-blonde take to flight, settle then fly once again - It tickles my neck, and I let it do so; I let it fly free because that's how I feel...like I'm flying free.
I have nowhere to go but I know my final destination lies within, peace, solace and feelings of beauty; I move all the same, I travel through natures spaces and let time do what it will. Here, I'm a vessel and it is nature and her beauty that fills me.
As I unfold, I find wonders to hear, smell, see and touch, and I eagerly open myself to them.
It's the way my body reacts to the temperature change as I walk under a tree and into shade and how it glories in the warmth when I move back into the sunlight.
Then it's the sounds of birds flitting overhead, wings fluttering, their voices a beautiful song and the way my footfalls sound different in the grass, on the path and as I traverse the brook.
It's that caress of foliage on my skin, the sensual touch of petals and sound of water moving lazily...it causes me to vacate my mind of everything but my immediate surroundings and I move into an inner space so far apart from the city and society that I left far behind.
I lose myself to the feelings, to nature, and in doing so I find myself more easily, my true thoughts and emotions. I come to understand myself a little better, my wants, needs and desires all reveal themselves eagerly I revel in them and the feeling of being alive and with nature.
As my walk concludes and I move back towards the reality of life in the city nature stays with me; she has settled upon me and seeped into my innermost places and there she stays nurturing me, helping me find peace through reflection when I need peace and a place to retreat to when I need it. I'll be back though, I always come back because walking with nature is where I feel the most centred.
Becca 💗