Green
Spring and Summer in Illinois reminds me of my childhood. The green begins to cover the trees and the birds begin to sing and soon I start to feel the same call I felt years ago. Problem is now I dont know how to run away. When I was younger it was so easy. I would come home from school or wake up on a Saturday morning and I would feel the call. If it was after school I would set down my things and run off to the woods. Spend my time wandering through the dense undergrowth or wander amongst the columns of pines. Follow a new trail to see where it led. If it was a Saturday morning I would wake up dress in green flannel and jeans, tie my hair back, make myself a small lunch, bring bags for the herbs I would collect, throw it all in a backpack with a book for reading later and wander off. Often I followed new trails but I also followed old trails, finding stream banks to rest on and read and eat. I remember once taking a friend and following a new path that led me out to a small lake I had noticed from the road many times before. I am of the distinct opinion that we followed a deer trail to a frequent watering hole. I discovered many things this way. The deer sleeping area, the fox den, and the many herbs that grew in my area.
Now that I have returned things have changed. I dont have time to go wandering in the woods, or rather I have the time but I don't take it. I also don't have a wooded area close enough to walk to as I once did. Hiking areas must be accessed by car. And I have found fear as I have grown older. Areas where I would walk alone as a child I will not return to without a dog or a companion. The world seems to gain its own dangers as we learn about what could be out there. I now know why my mother often insisted that I take a dog with me when I went out. It is interesting how things change over time.
Now that I have returned things have changed. I dont have time to go wandering in the woods, or rather I have the time but I don't take it. I also don't have a wooded area close enough to walk to as I once did. Hiking areas must be accessed by car. And I have found fear as I have grown older. Areas where I would walk alone as a child I will not return to without a dog or a companion. The world seems to gain its own dangers as we learn about what could be out there. I now know why my mother often insisted that I take a dog with me when I went out. It is interesting how things change over time.