Monday, October 03, 2016
Another Day of Magic
Yesterday I experienced another day of magic. A friend drove me to a nearby state park and, while she climbed an extremely steep mountain trail, I sat quietly immersed in the beauty of the natural world before me. As you can see, the elements were simple: a rushing stream, swaying trees, some lovely delicate plants. and one or two fishermen determined to get lucky in the water.
As sometimes happens, these features cohered and conspired to produce a truly mystical moment for me. I felt the way Wordsworth must have felt long ago when he allowed the powers of the natural world to possess him. I wondered if this is how Mary Oliver must feel when she engages in her wondrous explorations of nature and its creatures. I experienced total delight at every movement of the leaves, at each wave tossing in the water. I felt not only nourished but blessed.
Anyone who has ready access to natural settings may wonder why this experience affected me so deeply. For me, it was a rare event. I myself do not have a car and thus must depend on the generosity of friends to take me to such special locations. I felt very very fortunate to have such a friend. Indeed, I felt grateful and in fact blessed.
I concluded that if I should someday enter paradise, I would want it to be just like this.
