When athletes are on a hot streak, they are
said to be in the zone. That’s precisely
how I felt after work yesterday evening simply because I was alone in
nature. After all, my mindset is akin to
Henry David Thoreau at Walden Pond; John Muir or Gifford Pinchot in forest or
mountain solitude.
Throughout
my 8-4 work shift, I was literally praying that it would not rain during that
ensuing time period. That was after I
met outdoors with my favorite once-a-week vendor in a light rain shower at
mid-morning.
Things looked
promising most of the day. Then it
started raining as soon as I sprinted from the work place and got to my car. Just five minutes later, it was pouring combined
with lightning bolts in the west southwestern sky that seemed to travel from the
skyline far into the stratosphere.
But soon as
I had parked my car at Creve Coeur Park’s Sailboat Cove, as I had done hundreds
of times, the shower had ended. It was
as if my guardian angel had parted the clouds like Moses had parted the Red
Sea.
I normally
walk around the entire lake counter-clockwise, which had been forbidden over the
past two weeks due to the ungodly corona virus outbreak. It didn’t matter how sick I was of the term ‘social
distancing’ or TV and radio commercials proclaiming ‘We’re all in this
together,’ etc. etc. etc. I wanted to be
alone in nature.
So, after a
brisk 10-minute walk in the demanded clockwise position on the paved trail, I
made a sharp turn to my right and continued in that direction and all the way
back on the nice, soft sand along the lake’s edge.
On this
75-degree day, how I enjoyed the cool, fresh ‘ocean’ breeze tangling my long, salt
and pepper brown hair. I was lost in
time as if I was back exploring some of the great coastal and landlocked
beaches I’ve had the privilege to enjoy while exploring all 50 states and
beyond. While walking, I was reminiscing
about coastal beach giants like Waikiki, Panama City, Cannon, Acadia and Valdez.
I was also
content to amble about, tuning out the remainder of civilization, collecting
colorful pebbles and rocks of a wide variety of colors just as I have always
done in other states. The reason for
this is that I have always enjoyed the simple things in nature…well before
COVID-19 hit to enjoy its millisecond of time in the earth’s history.
How about
you? What are some of the simple things
in life you will choose to enjoy that perhaps you have taken for granted for lengthy
stretches of your life?
I know that
many of you have let all aspects of the pandemic totally overtake your way of
life and your psyche for two straight months.
But how will your thought process change in the coming weeks? It’s 100 per cent up to you because, whether
you realize it or not, we are not all in the same boat for this or just about
any other areas of life.
Like a wide
variety of diamonds, we were all created as individuals with an opportunity to
exhibit our own special facets in the Great Human Potential of life
itself. And the time to start realizing
that is in this very moment! So, go find
your own zones of wonderment in both work and play!
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