What Startles You Out of Yourself?
Sometimes, I Am Startled Out of Myself
like this morning, when the wild geese came squawking,
flapping their rusty hinges, and something about their trek
across the sky made me think about my life, the places
of brokenness, the places of sorrow, the places where grief
has strung me out to dry. And then the geese come calling,
the leader falling back when tired, another taking her place.
Hope is borne on wings. Look at the trees. They turn to gold
for a brief while, then lose it all each November.
Through the cold months, they stand, take the worst
weather has to offer. And still, they put out shy green leaves
come April, come May. The geese glide over the cornfields,
land on the pond with its sedges and reeds.
You do not have to be wise. Even a goose knows how to find
shelter, where the corn still lies in the stubble and dried stalks.
All we do is pass through here, the best way we can.
They stitch up the sky, and it is whole again.
by Barbara Crooker
We may think our minds do the thinking and feeling, but our bodies hold the deeper knowing. If the brain existed outside the body, perhaps we could separate emotions from physical aspects. But that’s not how it is. The mind is encased in flesh. What the mind knows, the body knows too, and often communicates before the mind figures out what it needs to say. Bless the body, holding the heavy stones of our life experiences, sometimes secretly and without any fanfare. There will be a time, though, when the body’s language cannot be ignored. It will be heard.
We’re busy and we don’t have time to waste, so instead we waste our bodies and minds in a frantic search to accomplish and then cope with the stress that comes from accomplishing. Or, maybe we’re dealing with the bad deals life hands out without rhyme or reason. Whoever said life was fair?
That’s why it’s paramount to find ways to cool the heat, to immerse ourselves in beauty, peace, and quiet. That’s why, if we allow it, nature can heal us, diffuse the stress, surprise us with its wonders. That’s the reason we host the Forest Bathing Retreats – to offer a time to settle our minds and bodies in nature, to slow our breathing, deepen our awareness, and then write about the experience. The retreats are always profound. Nature startles us out of our anxiety in the gentlest, sincerest way.
(Forest Bathing Retreat #3 will be held October 3-5, 2025. It’s open for Registration NOW!)
http://https://rockvalewriterscolony.org/august-30-to-september-1-2024-forest-bathing-a-walk-in-the-woods-for-writers/
What startles you? What have you witnessed that was so charming, or awe-inspiring, or breathtaking that you had to stop and stare. Once, I was outside gathering sticks that had fallen from trees during a storm. I wasn’t particularly thrilled with the chore. I heard a clamor, a ruckus, that was getting louder and louder. At first, I thought it was crows in my neighbor’s tree, but that didn’t seem right. The sound was too high and far away, and there were too many voices. I walked to where I could see the sky and then I saw it all. The biggest flock of geese I’d ever seen – long lines that went on and on, feathering out in segments, their collective voice an ocean of song. I stared and watched them groove the sky, and in my awe, I forgot my stress and grumpiness. (This pic doesn’t do it justice at all. The flock went on and on and on and on!)
And then, just yesterday, I was startled again – by big Jeremiah, our bullfrog! (See pic above) Sitting prettily and without a care in the world, Jeremiah has lived in the water feature by the kitchen deck of the farmhouse for over 3 years. I did a little research on bullfrogs. They can live 7-9 years. They are native to the eastern US but are considered an invasive species in the western states. Jeremiah watches the day go by from his moss-covered perch, and I’m warmed by his unhurried, unflustered nature. He reminds me there’s time enough to do what needs doing. Sometimes I need to just “be.”
(If you want to “just be” at RWC in November, register for our Peace Retreat: A Time of Being, Not Doing. It will get you calm and peaceful before the busy holiday season.)
https://rockvalereview.submittable.com/submit/321223/peace-retreat-2025-a-time-of-being-not-doing
Today, I hope you’re startled into remembering your connection to this world, and who you are as part of it.
Blessings,
Sandy