May 30, 2022

We live our daily lives in a familiar routine. We wake up; chipper or groggy; then we start the routine. Sometimes the sequence is off by a few minutes or is totally off and panic mode sets in. The daily stresses build up. We feel like there is no end in sight. We feel that there is not enough hours in the day. Some of us work day jobs and have a side/hobby business to help us cope. Some of us are totally content with waking up and going to the same day job; day after day, week after week for the rest of our lives and not flinching. Some of us scream for adventure, Some of us know who we are. Some haven't found their voice yet. Believe me I have been there. Internally screaming to be set free so I can be...me. Going to day jobs year after year that brought no joy to my life. There was never any external suffering, but people closest to me could tell that I was shutting down. The light behind my eyes grew dim and lifeless. I had to ask myself. What was it that brought me so much joy to my life when I was younger? Where did the joy go? The answer literally smacked me in the face a few years ago when I went soul searching. I went to visit a childhood memory in the woods near my parents place. It was a place of peace for me. Alittle spot deep in the woods off the lakeside. That question of wonder ran thru my mind as muscle memory set in. I started to walk along the wooded path deeper and deeper amongst the trees and brush. As I got closer to the end of the path, where my favorite spot lay. I paused and listened to the sounds around me. 

The sounds of my childhood were still there. I closed my eyes to let my other senses take charge. The leaves on the ground  rustled by the squirrels and chipmunks. The nearby body of water; how the water lapped up against the rocky shore thirty feet from me. The woodland spirits whispered thru the tree tops as the wind blew gently across their canopies. How the whispering wind came down and swirled around me like a warm comforting blanket and ascended back to the tree tops taking all of my worries and stress away with it. I opened my eyes because I thought for a moment that there was a presence of someone near me. There was no one. I glanced around at the different textures. The bark on certain trees were peeled back to expose the smooth tree trucks, the wrinkles of the cedar trees indicating new growth, the different shades of greens that no paint color could ever match. How the dancing light tiptoed across the crest of each wave on the water's surface. I was home, but I knew I wasn't free yet. Then it hit me........I mean literally......I turned around and got smacked by a low hanging branch I failed to see. 

We are live on the surface of our lives and never any deeper. Life has layers like a flower. Each layer unfolds to reveal our true beautiful souls inside for the world to see. The next time you go on a hike or on a walk. I want you to stop and take a look around. Smell the roses if you want, but really see the bigger picture. The Little Things. See how the moss grows on the rock, appreciate how the water carved a path thru stone, stand in a safe place and close your eyes listen to sounds that surround you. You can call this meditation or you can call it 'taking a moment' or whatever. Seriously, take the time to listen to your inner voice. It screams out to be heard. Listen and..... watch out for low hanging branches. 

Introduction: This series of journals called "Landscapes with Inspirational Stories" are suppose to be lessons that nature can teach each and every one of us. This includes appreciating the little things to perseverance to loving yourself for who are, not giving up, having potential and believing in yourself, and just enjoying that last sunset.
All images used in every journal are images taken by Ivory Peacock Photography and prints can be purchased at the link at the bottom of the each journal.