Nature is an Old Lady

Went out with @spoke_n_words this morning to get wet in the tropical rain that Hurricane Dorian has been nice enough to bring up north for us. One of my favorite quotes from Tim Krabbé’s ‘The Rider’ came to me:

“Instead of expressing their gratitude to the rain for getting wet, people walk around with umbrellas. Nature is an old lady with few suitors these days, and those who wish to make use of her charms she rewards passionately.”

Well, she rewarded us well today with one long conversation that rolled as easy as our fat wheels over rocks and roots. We mused on school systems, societal perceptions of mental health, the fruitlessness – yet imperative nature of environmental sustainability, trees as living poems, books to add to the ‘to read list and the importance of singing songs even if no one is listening.

It was so effortless that I forgot to even take a photo. Or perhaps I just didn’t want to interrupt the flow. Instead I took this one of my water bottle when I got home. Looks like I brought some of what was out there home with me. What you can’t see is the innumerable tiny microbes and molecules and mojo carried in the thick, pungent evergreen air that I drank gallons of. Microscopic nutrients that fueled my synapses, ignited nerve endings and are -as I type this – feeding my cells. Alright. You got me. I sheepishly confess. I went out this morning and got drunk on forest. And I don’t regret a thing. I made a Clubhouse Coffee when I got back to sober up – but I’m still buzzed. If I’m lucky, I’ll get to do it again tomorrow.