I am fortunate to live in a Carolinian forest zone in southern Ontario along the shore of Lake Huron. It is home to a large number of native trees and species at risk yet 90% of the original forest has been lost to farming and urban and industrial development. Our neighbourhoods are mostly wild looking, most houses hidden on treed lots, with an absence of manicured lawns. Residents and builders are discouraged from clearcutting the land but of course this does not always happen. We border on Pinery Provincial Park and we are lucky to have this beautiful protected area. As you so aptly put it, I have “found magic” here. Besides being a 15 minute walk to a beautiful sandy beach, I can walk through neighbourhoods and see treed areas that are untouched. It’s a good 50 minute drive to a large city, but I would never exchange the convenience for this.
One of the most timely Signal Fires. 288 days ago I flew home from a trip wandering the wilds where I realized just how medicinal and just how necessary the healing of nature was for me. 288 days later and I'm still trying to figure out how to make the doses more regular and the healing more available. This Signal Fire is the perfect reminder that I am chasing a necessary thing and I will continue to follow that healing.
"Let the bridges you burn light your way through the dark.
Come smelling of smoke."
- lines from a poem by Tyler Knott Gregson that I revisit constantly in this transitional phase of my life.
I have spent the last few weeks back home in Canada on the Pacific Northwest coast and am always so grateful to be immersed in nature. The forests heal me. The cold ocean waters rejuvenate my soul and I in constant awe of the mountains that cradle me in their valleys and curves. I am blessed to get to spend time on a tiny off grid island where people still live off the land with a reverence for the rugged bounty that they work hard to enjoy. These are a special kind of people and it feels like an honour to be welcomed back each year.
From my mother’s porch I watch the tides rise and fall and I smell the sea and all the life it holds. I can set my pace to these waters and know that they connect us all to each other and to the moon that shines so bright above us. And though I live in the jungle where I’m also surrounded by the tropical forests and magnificent trees and volcanoes, there is a different feeling. The element of coming home that makes the cooler temperatures warmer in my heart.
In a few days, I will journey on to another incredible natural wonder that we humans have adapted to be even more inspiring than it could be in its natural state. A bucket list trip to see the beautiful Red Rocks amphitheater in Colorado. A place that I have been dreaming of visiting for years! I can’t wait to wander through those hills and feel the magnitude of millennia beneath my feet. There is wisdom in the rocks and I am looking forward to hear their whispers. And the cherry on top is that I’m going to see Gregory Alan Isakov who clearly has been listening to those whispers of the wisdom that nature shares with those who know how to be quiet enough to hear.
Beautifully true!
I am fortunate to live in a Carolinian forest zone in southern Ontario along the shore of Lake Huron. It is home to a large number of native trees and species at risk yet 90% of the original forest has been lost to farming and urban and industrial development. Our neighbourhoods are mostly wild looking, most houses hidden on treed lots, with an absence of manicured lawns. Residents and builders are discouraged from clearcutting the land but of course this does not always happen. We border on Pinery Provincial Park and we are lucky to have this beautiful protected area. As you so aptly put it, I have “found magic” here. Besides being a 15 minute walk to a beautiful sandy beach, I can walk through neighbourhoods and see treed areas that are untouched. It’s a good 50 minute drive to a large city, but I would never exchange the convenience for this.
One of the most timely Signal Fires. 288 days ago I flew home from a trip wandering the wilds where I realized just how medicinal and just how necessary the healing of nature was for me. 288 days later and I'm still trying to figure out how to make the doses more regular and the healing more available. This Signal Fire is the perfect reminder that I am chasing a necessary thing and I will continue to follow that healing.
"Let the bridges you burn light your way through the dark.
Come smelling of smoke."
- lines from a poem by Tyler Knott Gregson that I revisit constantly in this transitional phase of my life.
I'm waiting to see what Sage Kevin says.
The Antipodes have a wary fear & admiration for The Bush (Oz), and this girl amongst the gumtrees breathes deeper & easier in Aotearoa.
Feel free to see for yourself - the exchange rate is ever in your favo(u)r.
I remember vividly being out on the ocean and seeing nothing but water and sky in every direction and feeling free free free
Our magical natural world (a haiku story)
Our natural world
exists in raw, unfiltered form.
Real life in 3D
Privileged to be
In a space we see unspoiled
Casting spells on us
Unspoiled spaces add
Essence to being human
And refresh our soul
A space of healing
Where troubles are lost in awe
And stray thoughts grounded
Keen sense of being
The wild marks no history
Magic is timeless
Enter and receive
Un-heavenly miracles
A natural cure
Be in awe and then?
Explore, respect and support
Help keep the magic
I have spent the last few weeks back home in Canada on the Pacific Northwest coast and am always so grateful to be immersed in nature. The forests heal me. The cold ocean waters rejuvenate my soul and I in constant awe of the mountains that cradle me in their valleys and curves. I am blessed to get to spend time on a tiny off grid island where people still live off the land with a reverence for the rugged bounty that they work hard to enjoy. These are a special kind of people and it feels like an honour to be welcomed back each year.
From my mother’s porch I watch the tides rise and fall and I smell the sea and all the life it holds. I can set my pace to these waters and know that they connect us all to each other and to the moon that shines so bright above us. And though I live in the jungle where I’m also surrounded by the tropical forests and magnificent trees and volcanoes, there is a different feeling. The element of coming home that makes the cooler temperatures warmer in my heart.
In a few days, I will journey on to another incredible natural wonder that we humans have adapted to be even more inspiring than it could be in its natural state. A bucket list trip to see the beautiful Red Rocks amphitheater in Colorado. A place that I have been dreaming of visiting for years! I can’t wait to wander through those hills and feel the magnitude of millennia beneath my feet. There is wisdom in the rocks and I am looking forward to hear their whispers. And the cherry on top is that I’m going to see Gregory Alan Isakov who clearly has been listening to those whispers of the wisdom that nature shares with those who know how to be quiet enough to hear.