The woods behind my house have always provided an escape for me. When I was younger it was from the watchful eye of parents, from homework, from responsibilities I was not yet quite willing to accept. As I have aged and changed, so has the meaning of this escape. Now the peaceful grouping of trees behind my childhood home represent peace, quiet, a reprieve from a life full of screens, external pressures, and above all, a constant need to stay “busy”.
Walking across the streams and along the river my senses are enhanced by many layers of memories long gone. Yet, at the center of the noise in my head, the woods are silent. While I have changed much over the years, they have changed little. It is a grounding thought and a reminder that silence and solitude can be found just as easily in your backyard as they can be anywhere else.
