Ducks

I stumbled upon some ducks in an unexpected place.
I was hiking along a trail and took a quick detour.
I needed an adventure... off of the beaten path.
As many have said... I took the path less traveled
I was rewarded with a new secret place.
The path ended with a creek... surrounded with tall and protective trees.
I felt safe and cool... and calm... my mind was calm.
I watched as the creek slowly trickled down stream.
Brushing against fallen branches, rocks, and moss
I wondered who else had explored down here... then I stopped.
Who cares who else has been here... right now it is mine.
Anyone else who has seen my secret place did not have the same thoughts or feelings while here.
How comforting!
I know that this is where I can come to think about anything... anything
As I sat up against a cold, damp rock I listened to all of the peaceful sounds of the day.
A chirping from a nearby tree and then I saw them!
I saw them so graceful and beautiful
I saw the ducks, two of them.
They floated by without paying me any attention.
How amazing! I can come here to be with my thoughts and simply me an observer.
Nowhere else have I felt so free to be me!
I will never disclose the location!
I am too scared that someone might not see the beauty in my new secret hideaway.

[Image:http://www.pbase.com/mkcarroll/image/28130312]

Windows

To me, windows are just humanity admitting that we would prefer to be outside.
In my apartment I always have my window shades drawn so that I can look out.
I could not even think of a building without them.
How dreary would it be?
I could not imagine simply being stuck inside a room without being able to briefly connect again with nature.

I find it a distraction however... during my hours where I must study.
I feel as if there is a magnetic force pulling me to look to the outside world.
I have been known to leave my studies and go out for a hike... simply because nature was calling me from the other side.

I believe, however, that I would be much more productive without this portal to nature.
Even at this moment I feel my eyes lifting from the computer screen to look outside.

This is a natural thing... it is only recently that humans have done everything indoors.
It seems unnatural to me that we shut ourselves in.
Where is the room to breathe?
What is so terrible about sitting in the grass?
Would our minds be more at ease if we took more time to look out of a window?

Ever since I was younger I have been told that focusing is important.
I would sit in my grade school class... in the little chair.... and look out at the butterflies dancing outside.
Teachers looked down on this behavior... this natural behavior...
What brought us indoors?
Maybe it is time we do outside.. instead of looking out of a window.

[Image:http://www.pamelamarcon.com/]

The Rock

I sit here upon a rock
Placed firmly in the muddy ground it gazes out onto the town
I wonder how long the rock has been watching
What could it have seen?
I know that it has seen me travel this path many times before
I come up here and rest my body and look out on the world
How many emotions does this rock see?
I know I have had a wide array to share
Sometimes the sun is shining and optimism consumes me
But there are times where all seems wrong and tears crash against its surface
Does he know how he has comforted me?
He never tells me that he does not have time
Dependable... always dependable...
Sometimes I can't think of a single person who will understand
So I climb the slopes to sit... to contemplate
I do not see another sole for hours yet I feel like I have talked things through
What a marvelous thing a rock is
If only everyone took the time to sit upon the surface and think
I recommend a trip into nature the next time you are feeling blue
Never underestimate the power that such a beautiful object can offer you in your time of need
Nature is always there for me... I just need to go to her

Henry David Thoreau

From Sounds
(Walden)
"They were not time subtracted from my life, but so much over and above my usual allowance. I realized what the Orientals mean by contemplation and the forsaking of works."

I am a person who believes very strongly in meditation as well as working hard to accomplish what you must accomplish. I set aside time on a weekly basis in order to do something that allows me to get lost in my thought. Some things that allow me to drift into a vivid world within my imagination are: hiking, walking, lying down in the grass, looking out a window at birds, and listening to classical music... just to name a few. I have always been a person who could get lost in deep thought for hours. In fact... I am sometimes unable to be alone because of the chatter in my mind. I have to set aside time in my daily life in order to let my mind drift off and do what it needs to do in order for me to re-focus on the other things that consume me... such as school. I have noticed that when I do not take the time to meditate I am not as productive as I could be.
Sometimes I feel as if I am on both ends of the spectrum because I am a very focused and hard working person but I still NEED to let my mind take over and become a scattered mess. Maybe that is just what the brain needs in order to be as focused as I must be. I have never met a person who can sit down and study for hours and hours at a time without a break and remained focus and I have never met a person who can spend as much time alone as I can. I guess the two extremes need one another in order to be flourish.
I wonder what would happen if more people took the time to drift off and succumb to meditation for a few hours a week. Would that entirely unproductive time lead to more productivity in the long run? Could this be the secret to success? I think more people have realized the power of letting your mind wander without even realizing it. For example, I always see students in the library lift their heads from their studies and gaze out of the window as if they had never seen the outdoors before in their lives. It seems as if the productivity drives them to meditation.
The brain is too dynamic for me to pick apart. One thing that I know is that it needs its own time away from the structured forces of our society. It needs time to bathe in the sunlight and drift of into thoughts of days in the past and days to come. I will not deny my brain of this need... this inherent desire to take a break. I will leave now to take my brain for an adventure and sit on my balcony and simply let my mind take over.

[Image: http://www.teekampagne.de/en-en/1_2.html]

Clouds Rolling In

The sky is clear and calm.
I sit back and look up at the beautiful birds over head.
What are they thinking I wonder.
I enjoy the cool breeze against my cheeks.
I am warm as I bask in the heat of the day.
The top of this mountain allows me to drift in and out of thoughts.
I feel no social pressures up here.
It is only me and Nature... only she has a hold on my mind.

Nature does not care to send out a warning.
She is powerful and set in her ways.
How could I have been so confident as to believe I knew her intentions.

I sit in the open field, still gazing at the sky.
When the dark clouds began to shift into view.
I watched the dark clouds cover my warmth and chills went up my body.
I stop in my tracks and wonder if it is time to go.
I know I should be heading back, for Nature is telling me so.
But I can't take my eyes off this expression of Nature's fury.
I did not understand how the day could change so rapidly.

A drop of water fell from heaven and glided down my cheek.
I swiftly pick up my things and begin to travel down the hill.
Step by step I venture downwards.
The heavy drops splashing on the ground.
I want so badly to just stand there in Nature's creation but I will have to save it for another day.
I reach my car just in time to watch the water stream down the windows like little fish.

Oh how unpredictable nature is and Oh how I envy her ways.

[Image: http://www.free-pictures-photos.com/clouds/index.htm]

Native Grass

The grass grows in thick tufts upon the side of the hill.
It looks down upon campus at all the busy people.
Nature knows nothing of stress besides what she can see from the hillside.
She takes her time to grow and sway with the wind.
Playful is the grass with a happy glow as it switches back and forth.

Some of the grass is native to California but some is carried from far lands.
The native grass, so tall and strong overpowers the rest.
Well adjusted to the California seasons, if one may call them seasons.
Roots of the grass dive deep down into the dry landscape.
Strong stringy stable roots were intended to keep hold for many Springs.
So elegant the grass is as it joins the wind in a synchronized dance.
At the top of the tall stalks sits a bristle point.
I wonder if they were meant as paintbrushes to paint the sunsets in the sky,
It strikes me as odd that a grass could be so dainty and fragile yet it is strong and enduring.

All of the grass appears but to be the same blade when I look from the bottom of the hill.
Yet they shine so bright with their differences while I sit amongst them.
Each type of grass seems to sit in harmony with the rest.
I would have never guessed that some come from far away lands.

The grass seems to be only but a beautiful addition to the hillside.
But to a bird it may be shelter and protection.
And the an insect it may be home.
If only I knew all that the grass did for nature.
For now... I will just appreciate the beauty and calm the grass has brought to my heart.



[Image:http://www.library.ca.gov/history/cahinsig.cfm]

Poly Canyon

A deer peek a boos among the soft luscious grass, shaded by a cool-calming trees that hug the ground.
The creek slowly drains from one end to the other without any appreciation of time.
A train whistles in the background and my mind quickly drifts back to the classroom.
A contrasting bird chirps a sweet tune to lure my thoughts back to nature.
All the birds sing in an unspoken choir that fills the air and is carried for miles.
The hills roll side by side and curve into a valley of lush floral grounds.
My feet pound the soil amongst the gentle natural footsteps of a woodland creature.
A hawk cries out to the heavens and slices the air while neighboring birds chirp ever so slightly.
Nature allows all of its diversity to come together harmoniously and allow an unnatural peace to take place.
Clouds sweep gracefully over the heavens and subdue the harsh rays of the sun as a gentle breeze blows through my hair.
Calm...
Calm...I feel calm for once today... A natural way of life this is...back to the world I shall go but I will leave a piece of me here with the ever swaying branches of the oak.
Like the rocks, I am only but an observer of this inspirational landscape.
Like the plants, I wait... they wait for loving rain and I wait for another moment in the glorious field that cradles my every emotion.
So intense my love for the land and how I wish to return in time.

[Image: http://danberkeland.typepad.com/dan_berkeland_gallery/2006_paintings/index.html]