Friday, June 6, 2008

The Path to the Quiet Corner


I just found a path through a beautiful place near my house that I had never been to. I feel like I'm in New England there, not the prairie. There are four bridges, a flowing stream, arching woodlands. There were a lot of willows and some copper and plum color iris growing wild in a clearing.

I had been reading a little zen book called "Find a Quiet Corner". It talked about tripping over our quiet corners because we get caught up in the busy-ness of doing. I don't know if that inspired me to stop today at a sign I had seen many times but ignored, but the words came back to me as I walked the path.

Poison Ivy lined much of the way. It has such beautiful leaves and I have always thought of it as a warning, a boundary marker between human culture and the wildness that exists beyond. Asking are you prepared to take a risk?

It made me think of the sticky places that find us when we are feeling drained or out of sorts, not enough mental energy to create; they are like the poison ivy, itchy and marking the defenses around our inner wild places.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

We have places like that in California but like you said, one must have one's eyes open to see them.

mz. em