Yesterday I walked through trails by the river. Trails where the paths were wide and clear, trails where paths were narrow, rocky and uphill. Some lead me directly to the water, some into the center, dark, reaches of the woods, all were beautiful in their own way.
One path lead me to rocky crags of space awash with butterflies, like flowers blooming in the spring. Colorful and gentle, seeming to float over the sparse spiky grass. How could something so beautiful, so precious, be here. Unexpected loveliness in the midst of what seemed to be barren, dying, and sad.
There were paths that snaked through the marsh, thick with sights and sounds of wildlife. A carpet of golden reeds tall in the warm still water, dotted with large white cranes standing guard at what appeared to be random posts along the edges. Peaceful. Regal. Unwavering in their duty. So much here, birth, life, death, maybe they guard the circle of life, the joys and sorrows that come with the movement of time. They were silent, not sharing the secrets of their existence with me.
One path called to me, it was narrow and dark, leading deep into the woods. I took a step on. Behind me was blue sky in front of me was completely unknown. The cool wind that brushed my face earlier was gone, the silence of this place was vast. A sweet silence, the kind your mind, body and soul needs. A place of your very own, deeper and deeper into a lushness, a fulness, a satisfaction I didn’t know would be here. In the center of this path was a clearing, where the sun rained through the trees warmly sprinkling me with beams of light. This place was whispering to me. Whispering memories of love and laughter shared, although I had never been here before. A place to close your eyes and see all your dreams before you, a place where imaginations become reality, a place where you build the bridge that takes you to where your heart is longing to go. A place where all things are possible.
I walked a path today and found… through the darkness came light, through the narrow path came openness, through the silence came a symphony. It was a most perfect place.