Just Under the Surface

I work really close to the East Paris Nature Park, a small trail that branches off from the Thornapple Trail in our West Michigan suburb. It makes for a lovely lunchtime break to walk to the nature park, loop around the small lakes and islands, and enjoy the sunshine.

If you look close enough, there's burgeoning BUDS!
Spring is really here!

After the hissing incident

The nature park is adjacent to an elementary school (on Spring Break this week), and a small residential neighborhood. The rest of the area is mostly commercial, which is why it's such a joy to encounter wildlife along the trail.

Even though I am a human, and a tall one at that, I'm never super comfortable walking close to Canada geese. What nasty little buggers! I learned long ago to not make eye contact and walk quickly by as they hiss and flap their wings. Today was no exception, even though I gave the courting pair a wide berth, they failed to return the kindness by letting me pass in peace.

I noticed how the change of seasons impacts humans as well as animals. The garter snake unabashedly sunning on the trail. The ducks and geese paring up before mating season begins (one pair of Canada geese looked like were getting *ahem* a jump on things in the procreation arena). Birds flitting around gathering nest materials. Sun-starved office workers taking advantage of the lovely day for a stroll.

Even snakes need Vitamin D

What struck me today was twofold:

• Seeing wildlife continuing with the rhythms and stages of life was soothing and encouraging. Making a long migration, foraging for food while things are still growing, finding a mate (or reconnecting with an old flame) is all part of their rhythm and circle of life. Since my life's been a bit topsy-turvy lately, seeing physical evidence of this basic pattern grounded me.
• In a matter of weeks, what looks brown and dead will come alive with the blooms, buds, flowers, leaves, and stems of spring. The brown will turn green. And it's all happening RIGHT NOW. Even though I can't see it. All those blooms and leaves are forming right now in all the tree roots and wildflower stems, waiting for the right time to burst open and start their own circle of life.

I found comfort in the rhythm and stages of life (minus the hissing--we can all do with less hissing). I found inspiration and challenge in the fact that we truly don't know what is going on beneath the surface of any number of things--plants, flowers, and people. What looks desolate, dead, and depressing will turn vibrant and alive in a few short weeks. This gives me pause when I think about things in my own life, and also how I treat others. To me, it's a sobering lesson in perspective and what we truly KNOW about any number of things, situations, and people.

The new life is right around the corner. I can't wait.