With staff in hand and cloak upon my back I tread, alone and saddened, into the woods…

Walking with the wind…
Dancing with the shadows…
Crying with the rain…
I walk on.

Where am I headed?
No where you know…

Deeper I press on until the chaotic hum of civilization leaves my battered ears.
Alone with the earth at last…
Be it daylight or night fall it does not matter…
I lose sense of time and myself and fall into the gentle embrace of nature.

I float away with the soft touch of the clouds…
Swept into their fluffy cores…
Letting my soul take shape with their imaginative forms.

I am swept away, but yet I remain.

Howling alongside the call of wolves…
Crying out that lonely tone with my four legged friends…
I am not of their blood, but I am one with them.

I am one with them, yet still alone.

Singing with the majesty of the birds…
My heart is lifted with the melody of their magical notes…
My spirit takes flight upon their gentle voices.

Lifted I may be, but upon the ground I remain.

My body swaying with the mesmerizing glide of the trees…
My troubles wiped clean with their hypnotic trance…
I am swept into their shading bows…
Cradled in their tender moss covered roots…
I take shape and become as they are.

I am rooted as they, yet still free to roam.

The wind passes over my body and caresses my broken form…
The healing touch of the winds pulling my shattered self back together…
Smoothing out the rough edges and melting the scars…
It pulls me deeper into the perfection of a calm and peacefulness most have never known.

I have reached a heightened state of existence.

A rumble in the distance…
A storm approaches…
“You should seek shelter!” you might say…
But no, I am at peace and happy…
The storm shall only heighten my bliss.

The first drop of rain splashes against my skin…
Cold and moist, it awakens me to the fresh air and joy of my surroundings…
The playful kisses of it’s siblings tantalizing my flesh and soaking my clothes.
I drink it all in…
Through my skin and my lips I drink in the rain…
And become watered down whilst I feel my pains washing away…

The bright and violent flashes of lightening giving me strength and filling me with a godlike energy.
The rumbles vibrating my bones to the core shaking the earth beneath me…
I am awakened to the song of the storm…
Taken into its chaos and turmoil to be remade into a fresh child of nature.
My mind at peace and rolling with the call of the thunder…
I give myself unto the regenerating arms of nature’s beauty.

The storm is upon me now…
The rain driving into me with fury and rage…
Trying to wash me away completely…
But failing in it’s attempt.
I am stronger now and will not fall under the test of the rains.
The winds try to push me away…
But yet again I stand tall and beat back the trials of the wind.
The lightning striking close by now…
My resolve and courage is tested.
I remain and face it’s full fury with pride and strength.

The dire onslaught of the storm now passing…
I am brought back into the healing arms of the remnants of the passing storm.
Accepted now as a purified child of nature…
The final, tender elements, of the fading rainstorm lick at my wounds and bring me back to life.

I am born again onto the world as a whole man…
A refreshed soul…
And a recharged heart bounding forward towards my brightened future.

Hopes restored and dreams abounding yet again…
I walk back into my life with a freshly strengthened spirit.

Nature has healed me once again. And I shall always return to her gentle comforting embrace for her healing touch.

I am a child of nature.