The woods behind our house lead to a creek that winds past the backyards in an adjacent neighborhood. It’s peaceful, usually empty in the early afternoon, and I enjoy the solitude of walking among the thirty-feet tall loblolly pines and oaks.
In fact, I’ve discovered that walking can be a type of meditation, if you allow yourself to slow down, notice the birds, squirrels, and trees, and smaller creatures, and immerse yourself in the present. Once I was surprised by a majestic hawk that swooped down to the creek, seized a squirrel that was scrambling along the bank, and flew to another part of the woods. Another time I thought about the trees and their deep network of roots (the “wood wide web”, per The Hidden Life of Trees) for exchanging nutrients and water. The wood wide web is a true social network in the sense that healthier trees provide more nourishment to the sicker trees, and they all benefit by achieving a healthy balance in their ecosystem.
Often, after I’ve edited one of my two WIPs, I find that walking also gives me a fresh sense of perspective and burst of energy, so when I return to my writing, I have minor solutions to hiccups, or notes about a character or setting.
I hope you can get away and enjoy a little Nature in your backyard, too.
