Encountering Earth

A path in the woods is filled with so many stories and lessons. Last week I went on a few short hikes, one at the Reist Preserve in Niskayuna. The path was a combo of pine duff and leaves, ice and mud. I really needed to pay close attention! As I picked my way along the path I thought about being present to a place - about being really aware of where I am and what is around me. Often I stopped looking up at the magnificent oak trees or at the spot where a woodpecker was working. I had to stop. It was a must because if I looked up while walking I could have slipped on ice or mud. I reflected on the many times I try to multitask, on the times I pay cursory attention. This walk reminded me to be present to the present - my new year's resolution! How are you reminded to be right here, right now?

Winter sun. With the coming of winter - at least because we enjoyed the solstice, not because of snow or temperatures - I have been noticing where the sun is rising and setting. Especially while visiting my family in south Jersey I saw that the sun sets in a very different spot than it does in the summer. At home, on the farm, without the city buildings, nature has a way of speaking so plainly, so freely. The rising and setting of the sun and the moon are wonderful daily events that I look forward to. Last week the moon was a crescent; Venus was so brilliant and the star Sirius shone very brightly and did Orion proud! The winter sky is full of mystery and splendor. The crisp nights seem to make the heavens sharper! My nephew and I enjoyed a bonfire and watched the stars in their constellations regale the heavens. But, back to the winter sun. My sister and I took a walk at Sunset Beach in Cape May last week. The sun was warm and danced on the water near the "concrete ship". I