When Nature Speaks, The Heart Listens

Knocking on the tree.

Nature serenades my heart.

A woodpecker’s song.

I thought up this poem as I walked through the woods last week and heard knocking against a tree. I asked Douglas what was the sound, and looking up into the trees, he spotted a red head moving back and forth on a nearby tree, a woodpecker searching for food. When I finally saw the bird, I was mesmerized, not remembering if I had ever actually heard a real woodpecker at work.

I knew of Woody Woodpecker and his mocking laugh, “Heh-heh-heh-heh, heh-heh-heh-heh, hehhh.” That little red-headed bird had made me laugh as a child in the 1950’s and 1960’s. He was so mischievous. Yet, the real thing was so much better!

Of course, the bird was not a speaker like the fictional one, but the music of his endeavor to eat added to the symphony of the forest, and my heart was pumped! We stood there for a while, watching him do what comes naturally to him, unaware that he was bringing me such joy with his “song.”.

I think that this is why walks in nature have been found to help our mental health to flourish. The peacefulness of the woods, with the sounds of a variety of birds, touches some part of us and connects us as one with the trees and their occupants. I am reminded that “the earth is the Lord’s and everything that is in it, the world, and all who live in it” (Psalm 24:1).

So, when the stress of the holidays gets to be too much for you this season, don’t just speed through the time. Instead, stop and grab your little ones or some friends and take a walk in nature. If there isn’t a nature walk near you, then just be still and listen to the sounds of life taking place around you. Even a belated walk, after the stress is already greater than you feel you can handle, will address your fears and worries in a wonderful way..

Let the knowledge that we are all connected to one another across species, race, gender, age, and, yes, even political views, soothe your weary souls and hearts, and realize that everything that is meant to be done will get done. Enjoy the holidays and Merry Christmas!

Written in part for the Three Things Challenge #83 from Pensitivity 101. the prompts today are bird, speaker, and pump. Fandango prompt is Address. Ragtag prompt is Flourish. Word of the Day is Belated. Daily Addictions prompt is Speed.