The beauty of nature

The beauty of nature is best enjoyed as a participant and observer, rather than owner.

On a run in the Chester Creek park area of Duluth, MN this morning I came to the top of a hill where I found a bench overlooking the sunrise. Near the bench is a square marking post. The side I could see read, "A Moment of Peace". I read the words as I approached, and kept on running.

Just as I ran past the post the message in it's words struck me. I stopped dead in my tracks and went back. The other sides of post read, "See the Peace", "Listen to the Peace", and "Breath in the Peace".

I stood next to the post and simply breathed it all in for a moment. As I became quiet I noticed two deer standing in the woods not more than 20 feet from me...and they noticed me. We all were there together, simply BEING together in that shared space. Just above the deer on the horizon was a breath-taking scene: an orange sun rising through the fog and clouds. Below the sun was a beautiful orange pillar - the sun's reflection on Lake Superior. Looking at the beauty in front of me, I found myself distracted by longing for a camera so that I could "capture" this beautiful scene.

As I refocused myself again I heard a voice say, with quiet conviction, "Simply enjoy. Be and let it be. You do not need to own this - it will be with you always."

In that moment the scene and all of it's surroundings suddenly became more beautiful, more complete, more full. Or perhaps I simply became more aware of the fullness that had always been there.

Perhaps beauty and majesty can be appreciated most fully when I do not strive to own, contain, capture, or control it.

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