Missing Nature

I've been missing nature.  My mind has been cloudy with stress and worry.  My husband has been in the hospital. Very sick. Scary sick. He's home now, and finally on the mend. Another close family member is now sick. Terribly so.  Someone rear ended my car. Work is busy. Summer is passing so quickly.  So many things to get done.  It's already the end of June and I feel like I've missed so much.

Life comes at us full force some days.  Some weeks.  But what keeps us going?  What keeps me going? Nature. Even a fleeting moment of fresh air and sunshine. Waxwings in the trees outside of work. Birds at the backyard feeder. Chipmunks and rabbits and squirrels passing through our urban backyard for a snack, a rest in some shade. 

While I'm hankering for a hike on a wilderness trail, or an extended afternoon at a nature preserve, these are moments that sustain me. Today I was driving along Greenfield Avenue. Suddenly, overhead there appeared a blue heron. For a few seconds this nearly prehistoric creature hovered above the same road I traveled on.  Then it quickly veered right over the trees and it was gone.  I'm pretty sure it was probably headed to Greenfield Park.

So, I went, too.  To Greenfield Park.  Finally. And it did me a world of good.  Another long week approaches and having gone will refresh me a bit.

If not, I'll try to appreciate the nature moments that come along as the days go by.
PS: The heron was there. :)