My walk with Nature

       Thoreau wrote, “When we walk we naturally go to the fields and woods; what would become of us if we walked only in a garden or a mall?”  I began my journey right after lunch in hopes of avoiding families with small children or lunch time runners.  I got lucky. The parking lot was fairly empty and there were no children on the playground situated at the beginning of the trail.  I left my phone in the car and carried with me my camera and a bottle of water.  As I began walking the outlying dirt trail in Eisenhower Park, I tried hard to clear my mind of thoughts both positive and negative. So far, I was having no success. 

I remembered reading a poem by a Daoist poet named Li Po.  The poem was Sitting Alone by Ching-t’ing Mountain. It’s theme was that even in the simplicity of nature, one can never be bored with what nature has to offer.  I took this walk with the mindset of discovering the beauty of Eisenhower Park, from the smallest flower to the park as a whole. 

                                                                                                                Photograph by Matthew Kaden

        As I took my time looking at my surroundings, my brain was still a congestion of thoughts about school, work, and home. I feared that I was wasting my time and started to get angry at not clearing my mind for the walk ahead.  I decided that I would keep looking closely at the trees, flowers, and plants living in the park and photograph everything that looked interesting.  By taking photographs, I was able to clear my mind and appreciate my surroundings.  

The sights before me caused me to reflect back to both the quote by Thoreau and Li Po’s poem. Only in the woods or open country can one find peace of mind in the simple beauty of God’s nature.  As I passed the midway point in my walk, I starting focusing on what was around me and the details in the floral and fauna.  As I came to my walks end, I envied Thoreau in his ability to walk in open, unbounded forest and be inspired by what he saw.  For now, I take the Daoist approach and connect with what nature puts before me.