We slipped down an unmarked path,
under a rustic arch covered with blackberries
and into a world of wonder.
This is a private woods,
and very much loved.
I have been blessed with an open invitation to linger in these woods
and there are wonders at every turn.
Look up and you see how the summer sun transforms a simple leaf
and illuminates a flower.
Look down, and look carefully...
be amazed by the wonders at your feet.
Every square inch in the woods is jammed with life.
Look carefully at the patterns in nature around you.
Pay attention to the hues and shapes.
Slow down.
Take a close look at the things you think are "ordinary" and you find there is no such thing as ordinary.
Take a second look at something you think you know all about.
Like a blade of grass or a blackberry.
Consider sketching something like a common twig.
You will discover so much when you look carefully!
Is nature's candy right at your elbow?
Taste a dandelion leaf or a blackberry or a ripe red thimble berry...
Just be sure you know your plant life;
some things are not meant to be tasted.
But all the colors of the rainbow are meant to be savored
and there is no place nicer than the woods to enjoy a blissful hour...
sometimes under a watchful eye you didn't expect!
