Pathways

I went for a trail hike this week, not expecting much by the start of it – dead leaves, downed trees, and twists and turns. But the backside of the loop delivered.

I looked up after turning one more time to see this pathway stretching out in front of me. I felt like I was walking in nature’s cathedral, the branches of the trees forming a nave of greenery over my head. As with cathedrals of stone, this nave made me look skyward and reflect on how small I am in this big wide world.

The weather has turned here in southern Georgia and those trees are sprouting the first green leaves of Spring. They’ve made it through another winter, most of them, and now the work of growth and expansion begins.

I, too, feel that need to grow and expand. The days are getting longer, the sun higher in the sky when it breaks through the cloud cover that seems to blanket the sky most days right now. I’m waking up from a winter-long slumber of sorts, thinking of things to write, avenues to explore, friends and places ahead in 2023.

Yes, it’s the end of February, but somehow, it feels like my year is really just now starting. I’m ready to get out there and see what 2023 brings. Intentions and aspirations, plans and adventures, they are all waiting for me out there in that big wide world.