November Algonquin

We don’t always fully realize when in the midst of it.
All morning the tasks tromped through my head with a few bucking up just to make sure I wouldn’t let dust settle on them. Winter door installed...check, rooms cleaned...check, laundry folded...check. My companion for the day, Jasmine, a wonderfully spirited dog, was prancing around playfully which she rarely does inside the main lodge. Finally, I realize she wants to take me outside for Frisbee or ball fetch. We step outside and, as soon as we do, I feel my mind chug to a full stop and my senses step forward for their time to frolic.
It is a grey, November, autumn day here in Algonquin Park, and like any of the other three seasons it has its own beauty that evokes a sense of awe within me. As I hit the dampish, cool air, I am overwhelmed by how everything around touches and plays with my senses. I feel as if I have been given smelling salts to awaken me from my sleep of busyness. The misty air dances around the pines and other naked deciduous trees that have lived here far longer than I. Tree branches seem so delicate as they reach far above me. I think of a ballet or classical Thai or Indian dancer who is particular with the movement of their fingers, it seems as if each tiny branch is holding its pose with this same grace and intent. I take some deep breaths and feel the cool, damp air travel through my nasal and other passages rushing into my lungs as if it were on a mission to remind every part it touches how vibrant and full of life it is. The scent of the earth and the leaves that are starting to break down into the soil drift past my olfactory senses in subtle presentation. Some birds go on as if in conversation and I stand still happy to listen to their voices instead of those in my head which kept me marching all morning.
Sometimes I find myself getting lost in “busy” , but such a magnificent setting as Algonquin Park has a way of grabbing hold of me and in a most loving way says “Wake up! Step outside of the “To Do” list and breathe....feel, receive the gifts that surround you.”

Blog....check. Hmmmm, well at least I was able to linger in those sensory experiences a little longer while writing this.