I should be writing. Most days I haven’t got a clue what I am going to write about, but once I sit down in front of my computer, the words begin to flow. Today though, I am easily distracted as I watch the flurry of birds at the feeders. I could watch them for hours. I also spend time looking at the trees and their beguiling shapes that are so visible in winter when they are without their leafy garment. My eyes follow the branches to their tips where they join the endless sky. My gaze follows the avian flights across the vast blue space above the tree tops, or hovers over the varied shades of grey clouds.
This is something that I have done since I was only a girl. I never did drugs in spite of the fact that I grew up in a time notorious for experimentation with them. On more than one occasion I was asked if I was “stoned”, but this was just my natural state. I find nature positively mesmerizing. Lying on my back on a warm summer afternoon and watching the beautiful cumulus clouds, listening to the drone of busy bees as they zip from flower to flower, smelling the scents of herbs and flowers, and feeling the warmth of the sun on my skin pulls me into the present moment where I long to remain. My mind becomes free in those moments, released from incessant thinking, released from all care.
Today there are no bees or any insects at all. The sun has been hidden by the dreary winter clouds and snow flurries strike against the window panes. Still, I am distracted, preferring to simply sit and watch. In letting go of any pressing need to be busy, I enjoy the gifts of the moment.
