No matter where you live you can open your door and hear the Robins, Cardinals and Song Sparrows singing their spring song as they have done for eons past. Take a closer look and you will see the new, tiny, yellow flowers of the Spicebush and buds on the Serviceberry preparing for the reemergence and renewal of life of the season ahead. The Osprey has returned and the Tree Swallow hopes for our help as it searches for its special nesting place to raise its family once again.
As we hunker down at home with our families and experience fears and anxiety that we have never known in our generation, nature is continuing on. Despite our very human frailties, our new limitations and our lives being altered nature continues to endure, unafraid and uninhibited, all around us just waiting for us to give a glance and pay some notice and let it know that we are aware of its eternal existence. Not that nature needs us but rather it’s patiently waiting for us with the song of a Wood Thrush or the sight of a wildflower to realize we are as much part of nature as all the wild creatures that endure to survive each and every day.
Over the last week I have seen more and more people craving nature and walking the fields and woodlands of our local nature centers and parks . What seems like a long time ago but just a few weeks back we were begging everyone to get away from their phones and computers and get outside. Now there is no need to urge them to seek out nature as we all now realize, instinctively, that we need nature to heal our pain and soothe our souls .
We will have a ways to go before we come out on the other side but make no mistake we will. With great tragedy comes great understanding; now we have come to appreciate or rather have been harshly reminded of how much we really need each other, how important nature is to have in our lives. It is my hope that we never forget either of these important lessons and we begin a new and better relationship with the natural world and each other.
Stay well, see everyone real soon.