Untangling

Have you ever had one of those days?  A day when everything goes upside down, backwards, and seemingly gets so knotted up that you feel as if you will never be able to have a clear or sane thought again?  Today was one of those for me.

What do I do when my mind refuses to slow down and behave?  When too many choices come rushing at me, all demanding my attention?

I go for a walk.  Those of you who know me know that being outside is my great healer.  This spring has brought few if any days when I could get out for a long walk.  The rain, the sleet, the wind, the cold.  All of these conspired to keep me  inside and twiddling my thumbs.  Not good for my mental state, that is for sure.

This evening I went for a walk down to our north field and into the woods where we had timber cut last year.  Miraculous is all I can say about what I found there.  Dozens of tiny flowers, blooming away.  Clear yellow, bright blue, soft hazy mauve.  A complete rainbow of color and every shape and size in the book.  But most of all there are dogwoods.  One towers well over 30 feet above the sloping hillside.  The rest nestle in the crook of the gently rolling earth.  Peacefully, they seem to reach out and say "All is well."  Such pure white beauty.  And when you see them against the blue sky they dazzle your eyes.

I could have stayed there well after sunset but the terrain is rocky and rough back up to the road.  I have to watch my step.  Any little hole or rock may trip me up and send me flying.  But finding my way home, I kept that image of the clear white beauty of the dogwoods in my mind.  And not surprisingly, when I got home, my mind was at peace and my heart was calm.  All it took was a walk down where the dogwoods grow.