our natural world

there are great rewards waiting if we will only still our bodies and minds, take the focus off of ourselves and just sit...preferably outside.  i did this yesterday and, granted, i have a pretty special "backyard" acreage, but any green space will work.

in one sitting i saw:  hummingbird, baby chipmunks, dragonflies, bumble bees, large yellow butterfly, chickadees and a deer.  being father's day, i took my dad to the national wildlife refuge in tualatin where he first heard and correctly identified a nest of baby birds before we even saw them.  we spent the day noticing, listening and honing our observation skills.

we noted that animals have many of the same concerns that people do:  food, shelter, family, safety, communication. and we also realized you can walk the trail loud and uncuriously or quiet and receptively.  like robert frost's two paths diverging in the woods, we took the quiet way and received so much. tuning our senses in to the natural world is sheer gift.