The Forest

Being on 50 acres can be a great way to kill time and a great place to go explore. On and off the trails, the forest is shaped and is forever transitioning.

As time goes on and I continue to explore the forest, I could not help but notice that over time as the seasons pass, the forest is forever changing. Trees never stop growing, some trees may die off, and some trees may fall down, but that counts as a change. The land is filled with different landscapes full of different flowers, plants, habitats, stone and grass growth. The forest provides shelter and food for animals such as; deer, foxes, coyotes, bears, squirrels etc. as well as various insects throughout.

I then realize how easily we tend to overlook the beauty of the things that surround us. Even something as simple as a tree. We take the things we have in our life for granted so easily, without even realizing it. We forget how truly blessed we are to have the things that we do have such as a shelter, food, the beauty of the earth, the experiences we live through, the complexity of the universe and human life itself.

Standing in the forest, in a land that is forever changing, it is not far off from the reality we are conditioned to. We are born into a world that is forever changing with evolution, advanced technologies, accelerated science and so on. Sometimes these changes are for the best and sometimes they are for the worst, however, things keep going. They keep evolving, the earth continues to spin in its usual rotation, time continues at its regular pace.

As an individual we never get to choose the changes that occur throughout the world or even in our life time. We never know why the bad things happen, we never know what happens to things or to even humans once they are gone from this earth. It’s the not knowing, it’s the life’s unforeseen instances, it’s the daily stress of reality that keeps us from seeing any good in the world sometimes. We get so caught up in ourselves and in everyone else’s life issues that we no longer take a step back to appreciate the little things. I mean in all seriousness, you can travel the world by your cell phone now, see the images of the world from our couch, however, it is not the same as the true earth’s beauty in reality. You are not able to experience your other senses such as smell, touch or taste.

Even with that being said, I also am curious that if a human was given everything they ever wanted in their lifetime, all their greatest wishes granted, would they stop to look at tree or a forest or a landscape? Would they stop to smell the roses? I believe that they would not, as humans are too afflicted by technology in this generation. Therefore, I feel they would always want more. More money, more time, more meaningless items that social media has put a label on to make it larger than it is such as a Prada bag.

As I was growing up, anytime I ever said I wanted anything my mother always said, “You have a roof over your head and you have food on the table, what more could you ever want?” So, I learned to appreciate the little things and see the bright sides of life’s dark situations.

So, as I walk through the forest, I embrace the forest as it is, because even one day later, one week later, it is no longer the same. It has already changed so rapidly. It has grown, it has died, it has rebuilt, it has developed, it has altered all before my eyes, without me even realizing.