A walk through the meadow
An off and on rainy, dreary day. The perfect day to be outside says many people who are not me. I do not like being wet and cold. In general I hate the cold. Being warm is my jam. Lately, I’ve found myself outside more. Mostly because I’m taking a course on herbalism and building my own apothecary and gardening.
We gather monthly and I volunteer at the local garden space as well. I imagined myself here. I imagined myself loving it. I currently am alright with it but it is growing on me a bit. I’m never quite sure of what the end goal for my journey is I just want to have more knowledge and more connection with the earth in a hippy way. A cool laid back hippy.
Today while it wasn’t raining our group went on a walk. We were touring the grounds of the garden/park space. A space that has been in the city area for centuries. We got history, we got theory, we got hey that’s what poison ivy looks like. All my life I’ve never known what poison ivy looked like. Yet I’ve had friends lathered in calamine lotion after a long weekend.
We walked along the water, a pond, and a river. The pond it’s own 4 foot deep ecosystem. We walked down a hill and then up on the other side. We saw some interesting plants and trees, some for decoration, some just found there home and stayed.
As we walked, we learned of the people groups who once walked along the same river banks. Those native to the land, those who “found” the land, and those who were brought to the land. Difficult stories to be told and difficult stories to be heard. Stories that needed to be told either way.
I found our walk through the meadow, marsh, garden, and natural spaces to leave me feeling like I did something. I don’t think I was yet connected but I was trying to connect. I appreciated and admired the space I was walking in.
What I found was my desire to come back and take a walk. I’ve been told that being outside in nature is very good for you. I believe it and tell others to do it but neglect to do it myself. Today I found a peace as I was walking the land.
We will walk this land again and I wonder if I’ll feel similarly or different. Will I be more connected or still trying? Will the peace of nature surround me and allow me to rejuvenate in a way no one can describe or prescribe for me?
Even on a cold damp day a walk through the meadow is healing and maybe what you need and didn’t know it. It was for me.
