In the woods

Am staying with some friends this weekend deep in the woods, far away from civilization.

It took a while for the change to sink in. First you notice the absence of the noises of “civilization”. No traffic, or car horns honking, or that steady background hum of machinery all around. Cell phones do not get a signal out here.

And then you notice other things. The sounds of the crickets and the frogs. The astonishing scent of the air. The soft burble of a creek. The majestic stillness of the forest all around.

Senses that had habitually shut down out of sheer self-defense begin to reopen. It is not an intellectual thing at all, but more a feeling in your body, a sense that everything is ok.

And maybe, just maybe, when I return to the world of cars and machines and cell phones, I will be able to carry a little of this feeling back with me.

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