Walking

Last year, I attended a nature journaling workshop at the Albuquerque Petroglyphs with my 10 year old. It was one of the most amazing days.  The instructor walked us through various exercises. One of them was to sit in front of a plant for 15 minutes and just look.  And sketch what we saw. On my walk this day, I was feeling stressed and my footsteps remembered this teacher.   I stopped, and began looking. Not for 15 minutes, but just 5.  After about 60 seconds of adjusting my vision, I began to see a whole universe unfold before me.  A world of flowers, plants, ants, bees, and insects just barely visible.  And certainly invisible before to me,  a quick walker intent on covering my distance.  Watching this slow, swooping, intense activity gave me hope for my day. There was an entire universe of activity supporting this amazing ecosystem I live in and breath in.  It reminds me to be thankful for all the things I cannot see.