Ferida Wolff's Backyard: Focusing on Nature is a Way to Step Out of Daily Worries, Be Lifted by Its Beauty or Delightfully Surprised by An Unusual Encounter
Nature has been a bit more obvious around here lately, with squirrels dashing in front of cars, hawks flying down closer to people and deer gallivanting on streets and in backyards. Here is an example:
There were actually five deer crossing our backyard the other day. Two moved off into our neighbor’s property behind the children’s playground. One had stopped for a moment to look at the swings. I wondered if it was considering having a ride. When my husband came out with his camera, the deer moved on. They crossed the street slowly as if they were just out for a daily walk.
I think that our housing development was built on the deer’s natural roaming path. They figured out how to navigate around the fences that some of our neighbors have erected. We are used to them coming into our back to munch on our plants and our sweet cherry tree. But they have been showing up more frequently and being less reserved.
I think we all are looking at things differently now. What used to be in the background of our busy lives has come to be more prominent in our awareness as we become more locally aware. Focusing on nature is a way to step out of our daily worries and be lifted by its beauty or be delightfully surprised by an unusual encounter. I think of it as a gift that opens me up to a wider perspective.
Our Roots
We’ve been going to various nature centers during this pandemic, trying to be outdoors but away from crowds. I always find something that surprises me on these walks. This time, at the Parvin State Park in Pittsgrove, NJ, it was tree roots that were reaching up to the sky. The tree had fallen over into the lake and half of its roots were yanked up into the air. It was no longer living but half of its roots still held on, deep into the earth.
It was captivating. It isn’t often that tree roots are so visible. There was a lacy quality to them. I could see how interconnected they were, supporting each other so that the tree was able to rise high into the air.
It made me think of people who have passed away, especially now when so many have died from the corona virus. They may be virtually gone but they, too, have left roots in our society. Some of those roots can still be seen, biologically visible in relatives. But it is the impact they have made through their work and interactions in society that are the hidden roots, the connections that affect all of us.
Parvin State Park has quite a history*:
https://www.stateparks.com/parvin_state_park_in_new_jersey.html
*HISTORY OF THE AREA - Parvin State Park served as home for the Civilian Conservation Corps from 1933 to 1941, a summer camp for the children of displaced Japanese Americans in 1943, a POW camp for German prisoners in 1944 and temporary housing for the Kalmycks who fled their homelands in Eastern Europe in 1952. From the park's early history, there are still the remains of ancient American Indian encampments, both temporary and permanent.
©2020 Ferida Wolff for SeniorWomen.com
Relationships and Going Places, Home and Shopping, Health, Fitness and Style, History, Culture Watch, Health and Science, Home, Garden, Shop for Home, Shop for Garden, Moving and Retirement, Issues, Grandparenting, Senior Women Web, Articles, Sightings, Ferida Wolff, Authors, What's New
