Seeking reverie
The woodland soundscape is all hiss and rasp of dry leaves. Birds rustle through brittle undergrowth, foraging for food. Above, I hear the prickly whispers of brown oak leaves clinging on to twigs, in defiance of the wind. There are one or two bird calls, but mostly the forest has an airy, quiet feel, that helps me to breathe a little slower and drop my pace.
Today, I am in the woods alone, seeking out a moment of reverie. I move slowly and set my intention to be attentive, to create the conditions for a spark of connection to take hold.
Constellations of dew collect on old nettles, creating a thousand miniature worlds. Each perfect globe reflects the light and colours of the woodland. Below my feet, the dead undergrowth is a tangle of brown and russet, interlaced with green threads of living bramble, bilberry and moss.
Ripening buds share twigs with shrivelled, dead leaves that refuse to let go. This is the paradox of winter in the woods, the entanglement of death within life. Or maybe it’s life within death. It depends on my frame of mind.
Why do some leaves cling on pointlessly after death?
I might research this later, but for now I keep my attention on this leaf that has captured my imagination. I notice the thoughts and sensations in my body as I watch it quivering in the breeze.
How does it feel to be a paper-dry leaf, held up on branch and twig, towards the hard winter sky? All the other leaves are nestling into the earth, rotting down, becoming nutrients for the tree. This one is exposed and battered by the air instead of blanketed by soil and moss.
I find myself feeling hope and empathy for this leaf that hasn’t learned how to let go. It touches some part of me that is clinging to things I no longer need, ideas of what my life might have looked like, worrying about things in the past that I can’t change.
On the next branch, a single leaf quietly breaks free and becomes lightness and freedom.
As it floats to the ground, I pick a path along the top of the ridge with a view of sky and open valley.
If you would like to nurture your own relationship with nature a little bit more, you might like Nature Fix. It’s my nature almanac, where I gather all my notes, research and guidance to help you get closer to nature.