Walking through the woods of a local park the other day, I was surrounded by the sights of nature, the trees rustling in the breeze, the sun reflecting off the rippled lake, the fallen logs strewn around the path, but the sounds were not all natural. I found myself wishing to be somewhere away from the background hum of cars driving past on the nearby highway and the clacking noise as they drove quickly across a bridge. These distractions kept me from separating from the busy world around me. They prevented me from fully calming my thoughts, and from really stopping to think.
Especially as children, I think, we are connected with the natural world. Playing in the fields, climbing rocks and trees, exploring the woods feels right to us, because we are a part of it. Somehow we sense this as children, and I truly hope the kids of today haven't completely lost this feeling as their world is full of more societal and electronic distractions than mine ever was. It is essential that we keep this connection, as much as we can, because it allows us to step away from the busy day-to-day of adult life and reconnect with what is real, with who we really are. It allows us time to be quiet and to think.
