“A walk in nature walks the soul back home.” Mary Davis
COVID-19 has impacted everyone. It’s been a universally shared experience these last many months. COVID-19 has made me tired. I’m always on edge, always worried that the little tickle in my throat is going to turn into something bigger and worrisome. It’s not because I’m not concerned about getting sick. I’m concerned about the impact that getting sick will have on AH, on my parents, on our business, on our clients, and on our staff. It’s been a constant hamster wheel of worry in my brain since we closed to all but emergency patients on March 20th (don’t worry, we re-opened again in late May!).
And so, when we were planning our summer break this year in the midst of the pandemic, we had to ask ourselves what was most important. AH and I decided on quiet. Hiking is our passion and our summer holidays are often centered around finding new territory to explore. With COVID-19 in the mix this year, it’s been the perfect time to get away and isolate and spend some quiet time banging around in the woods.
My heart lives for the ocean, but my soul lives for time in the forest. It’s so quiet there. So blessedly peaceful. A completely different kind of quiet than I ever experience in my backyard or in the parks close to home or during the COVID-19 shutdown. It’s the kind of quiet that repairs, restores, and heals.
The forest doesn’t care about COVID-19. And so I’ve taken my cares to the woods on our holiday. In the sea of green, putting one foot in front of the other, COVID-19 has disappeared. I’ve been able to forget the last three months and remember myself. I’ve been able to forget about case numbers and remember to tell my beloved AH how much I love him. I’ve been able to forget about washing my hands. Instead, I remember the joy of getting dirty and sweaty on the trails. Most importantly, I’ve been able to forget about all that there is to do. I’ve so enjoyed rediscovering the joy of slowing down and putting myself first.
Our time away is short, but the gifts from the forest will stay with me as we prepare to re-enter our life and the realities of living alongside COVID-19. And I have been reminded that if I just stop and listen, the forest is always calling me home.
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