It’s a busy time of year for all of us and it’s a challenge for me to remain grounded in what really matters: I can so easily be sucked into the vortex of ‘The List’. Yes, ‘The List’: a bunch of things that I impose on myself , which surprisingly to me, no one else is even interested in. And yet, every day I check it regularly and frequently and design my entire day so I can eliminate something from it. All in the interest of ‘Being Ready’. For Christmas.
I’m now getting a little bit wiser about my ways, so I’ve learned that I need to escape from this frenzy, even though self-imposed, to regain my ground. For me that means going to the woods. So today Callum and I hiked into Carman Lake and didn’t see another soul. And we listened to the wind, and the birds, and the tree branches swaying. He chewed on sticks and did a lot of sniffing. I don’t think he needed to get away from a list but I’m certain that the outing contributed to his well-being as well as mine.
Here is a photo of freeze up near the outlet of Carman Lake, at its southern end. And, here is Mary Oliver’s poem, How I go to the Woods, which has been a favourite of mine for many years.
May you relish your own ‘going to the woods’ moments as you prepare for your own celebrations in the coming days. My very best wishes to you as we transition this day through the winter solstice and move into the season of winter . May we all embrace the gifts this new season brings us.
How I Go to the Woods
Ordinarily I go to the woods alone,
with not a single friend,
for they are all smilers and talkers
and therefore unsuitable.
I don’t really want to be witnessed
talking to the catbirds
or hugging the old black oak tree.
I have my way of praying,
as you no doubt have yours.
Besides, when I am alone I can become invisible.
I can sit on the top of a dune as motionless
as an uprise of weeds,
until the foxes run by unconcerned.
I can hear the almost unhearable sound
of the roses singing.
If you have ever gone to the woods with me,
I must love you very much.
- Mary Oliver , Swan
