In Wonder

"Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience"...(Ralph Waldo Emerson). The beauty and wonder of nature is majestic and often takes my breath away. I am at Niagara Falls, Canada and the spectacular beauty of the falls is overwhelming. Just being up close to the falls, you can feel the power and pull of the energy as the water cascades over the horse shoe falls. When I was younger, I had very little appreciation for the beauty in nature. I visited the falls when I was 18 years old and I remember taking in the view, being cold and wondering when lunch was. When I visited Niagara Falls last spring, I was able to finally appreciate how awe inspiring Niagara really is. Now visiting in the winter, I am reminded of the grace of the season's. The energy of Niagara is still powerful, but the ice and snow show a different side of the falls. I guess like life, we all have different sides to us and react differently in different climates and season's. I know people who absolutely come to life in the winter and thrive in the cold weather. Other's run from the cold and crave only warmer climates. I am somewhere in the middle although I think I fare best in warmer weather. Nature does take it's time to transform. Like us, day after day it shifts and changes, even if those changes are barely noticeable. By spring however, the falls will be transformed as all of the ice and snow will have melted and Niagara Falls will become an unencumbered force of energy. Reflect back to your younger years when you experienced wonders of nature. As you reflect, did you fully appreciate what you were experiencing in nature? Most of us would say, probably not. Obviously, I adore nature now. I find beauty in the trees in my back yard, the blooming flowers lining rock walls on my way to work, and of course the glory of the changing season's. I have a good eye now for noticing nature among structures like vines growing on a building, or flower boxes on a window sill. Nature is all around us, if you just start to really look and appreciate what you are seeing. With the season's and weather, I no longer judge what I am seeing, but fully respect and enjoy the shifts constantly occurring in nature. When it is raining, I value how nature is renewing itself, nurturing the soil and washing away debris. On a very hot day, I absorb the sun's rays and notice how the flowers drink in the sunlight. Even in a good windstorm, I sometimes stand in the wind to bask in the refreshing, healing air as it gusts all around me. So enjoy nature that you have in your surroundings and trek out to visit some of the natural wonders you may have missed or not fully appreciated before. "All things are artificial, for nature is the art of God"...(Thomas Browne).