Why nature is my favorite soap opera!
I’ll admit it. There was a period of time as a teenager in the late 80’s where my friend and I rushed home after school to watch Guiding Light. At that point, my future children’s names were Reeva and Roxy! Why did I have such an affinity for the “stories”? THE DRAMA, of course!
As humans it’s so easy for us to get caught up in the drama of things. It actually produces a physical surge of excitement in our bodies that feels pleasurable and intense. I will be the first to say that I’m deeply curious about human beings, and I love hearing about other people’s lives, BUT I am no longer interested in drama (on TV or in real life).
I do, however, love drama in nature. And I have a favorite style. Yes, there is the everyday life and death situations happening between predator and prey. There is a definite rush in finding animal tracks, scat, and maybe even a kill site (this is a spot where one animal ate another one and there’s clues and a mystery to be solved). But all of these require engagement on purpose. My favorite type of natural drama affects me whether I engage or not.
It’s BAD WEATHER!
This morning found me out snowshoeing at 6:30 am. Why? Because it was so beautiful out? No, because it was freezing rain and that’s so exciting! I love that feeling of being right in the middle of intensity. There is a natural human drive (at least inside me) to participate in things that push my edges, strip away the numbness of the safety we create around ourselves, and maybe even feel a little dangerous. And bad weather really does it for me.
Driving rain, and howling wind are raw, powerful forces of nature. They create permission to access those parts inside myself - that are raw, primal, and a little wild. Bad weather gives us an opportunity to stop doing the day to day, and look around us. An amazing world exists in nature. The woods are filled with the whole range of the human existence; danger, uncertainty, love, gentleness, delicateness, survival, flexibility, connection, and energetic flow. Being in the woods, especially during bad weather, wakes me right up. My eyes, my ears, my senses, my heart and my spirit.
I may be my brother’s sister, and my mother’s daughter, but I’m also a sister of the wind, daughter of the trees, and lover of the sky.
Connections - may they exist beyond the boundaries of our human “stories”.
**Important Note: While looking for images to go with this entry, I came across some disturbing pictures of people suffering in bad weather. I want to acknowledge that bad weather can cause injury and death, especially for the homeless, and it’s a privilege to have a warm, safe home to return to after a walk in the woods. As humans, it becomes our responsibility to care for each other, so that we can all have access to food, shelter, and warmth.