I was out for a walk at dusk yesterday evening and got to thinking about the difference between living in the country and living in the city. The human scale out here is small and as I enjoyed the sounds and sights at dusk the human made element was almost non-existent. The only sounds in the chilled air were the birds calling out to each other from the tall trees around me, trees that were becoming silhouettes in the darkening sky. I get a sense of “so this is the world outside me head.”
Earlier I went exploring one of my favorite places out in the woods, maybe a quarter of a mile away. This place is where a spring comes out of the hill and becomes a creek that runs down the hill where it eventually flows into the Long Tom river. Most of the trees around here are Douglas fir, but at the spring there are wonderful old maples and alders. From a distance you can tell you are near the spring because you can here the water. Right now water is coming out of the hills all over, the ground is totally saturated from our recent snow and rains. When I got to the spring I saw one of the most wonderful display of skunk cabbage in bloom. And all around was a lot of bleeding heart and trillium waiting for their turn to bloom. As I looked out the thought “so this is what life is all about” arose and a feeling of gratitude arose. Feeling completely satiated I walked home through the woods.
Being in the natural world does so much to put things in perspective and the quiet opens me to seeing and hearing what is all around me and this gives rise to feelings of gratitude.
Today we had hail, the temperature hasn't gone much over 40, I showed Catherine the skunk cabbage, and we got some new chicks. Later we'll have our Wednesday evening sitting group with dinner, sitting, and dharma discussion. It sure seems that this is what life is all about.
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