Finding the Wonder in All Seasons
I haven't blogged for a while as we have had a lot of visitors over the last couple of months. So... here goes...
Today, we decided to go for a drive around the Deer Trail - it's about a 3 hour loop starting north of Elliot Lake and ending in Iron Bridge, after which we hit Hwy 17 for the return home.
Although the leaves have mostly been blown off the trees, there was still so much to appreciate. I just love looking at the leafless trees when they appear as a silhouette against the background of the sky. Each branch and twig can be seen in every detail. The naked trees affords us a better view into the wooded areas that are prolific around here. We get to see deeper into the places where wildlife is active and are often surprised by what appears.
Today, we were appreciating the small rapids on the Little White River and commenting about how nature is beautiful, no matter what the season. Just at that point, Mark became aware of movement in the corner of his eye, and spotted a black bear on the other side of the river. He stayed there for a few minutes, before disappearing back into the forest. I'm not sure that he saw us as bears have very poor eyesight (though we may have appeared as a couple of shapes to him). Nevertheless, he was no doubt aware of us, using his keen sense of smell. It's funny how that it was not while we were looking out for wildlife that we spotted him, but when we were focusing upon something else that we found pleasing.
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| 'Bernie' Bear - on the Little White River |
It occurred to me that sometimes in other areas of life, when we are wanting something to come into our experience and we keep waiting and looking for it to come, it often eludes our grasp. When we relax, let go, 'go with the flow', and focus elsewhere - especially upon something that gives us pleasure - that's when things come to us. People often tell me that when they have lost something, they only find it once they have given up looking for it. I believe that this is because while we are focusing upon the problem, or the absence of what we want, we cannot be in the vicinity of the presence of what we want at the same time. Once we stop noticing that something hasn't happened for us yet, we allow it to ease its way into our experience.
As a bonus, we saw also saw two more wolves this afternoon, and I can honestly say that I had a knowing earlier on that this would happen. I'm a happy camper! And I'm gonna try to relax and let go more often!
