“Remember to look up at the stars and not down at your feet.”
—Stephen Hawking
Things don’t always turn out the way we planned. And no matter how hard we worry, or try to prepare ourselves for the worst, worry is not control.
Feeling out of control can be scary, or it can be liberating, depending on whether we keep trying to regain control, or if we let it go.
When the world seems to be spinning out of my control, I retreat to nature. I lose myself in the woods, by the sea, in the mountains, wherever the creatures outnumber the people, and the wildness drowns out my noisy thoughts.
Sometimes it is enough just to know that the wilderness still exists. Other times I need to write down what I feel, and sketch what I see. When I do these things I am present in this moment–the only moment where I do have some control. Right now I can sit, I can stand, I can walk, I can breathe.
This moment, this is a gift. It is life.
This weekend I’m heading to the Poconos for a few days with my loving husband and family. I’m gonna spend some time staring at the stars and the mountains.
You might try that too if you’re feeling out of control. A lake, a stream, a city park—any patch of nature will do. Find some wildlife and be an observer for a little while. See if you feel calmer as a result.
Above: Maggie May climbing Mount Bierstadt with me. One of our last Rocky Mountain adventures before moving back to Pennsylvania in 2010. Those mountains are still there, even though I can’t see them.
