Up early on a cold, rainy fall morning before a golf outing (the wisdom of which I will leave as an exercise for the reader), I went outside and stood smack in middle of my driveway with a cup of coffee as I tried to gauge the weather.
Rain was gently falling, the accumulated droplets cascading off leaves with more weight than the rain itself.
And I just stood there for a few minutes, getting wet and not caring one bit.
There was dialog going on for all who would listen. Wind, water, leaves, geese. Despite the chill and rain, it was stunningly peaceful, even standing smack in the driveway wondering how many layers I should wear.
The Stoics have a term for the concept of living in accordance with nature - physis.
When you feel it, you’ll know. For me, mainly, I hear its whisper in the mountains, but sometimes it sneaks up when you least expect it.
It reminded me of a poem I read just last night via Tim Ferriss. I’ll share it here because it stuck with me:
LOST
Stand still. The trees ahead and bushes beside you
Are not lost. Wherever you are is called Here,
And you must treat it as a powerful stranger,
Must ask permission to know it and be known.
The forest breathes. Listen. It answers,
I have made this place around you.
If you leave it, you may come back again, saying Here.
No two trees are the same to Raven.
No two branches are the same to Wren.
If what a tree or a bush does is lost on you,
You are surely lost. Stand still. The forest knows
Where you are. You must let it find you.
— “Lost” by David Wagoner
Maybe this will be a great golf outing after all.
Have a good weekend everyone. Thanks for being a subscriber.
Oh, and Go Blue! 〽️
Enjoyed reading this very much!
❤️Love that poem.