There is this phenomenon that happens when I am out in nature. It makes me happier, calmer, more relaxed and it does the same thing to other people. It’s one of the many laws of nature.
I was out on the trail Saturday and everyone I encountered was having a good time even when they seemed that they weren’t. I saw plenty of runners grinding out the miles, working it hard, some red-lining it and yet I know there’s no place they’d rather be. Mostly because I know on that day and many others, it’s the only place I want to be.

There were the afternoon casual hikers and the parents corralling kids and they were full of smiles and hellos. So while Mother Nature can pack a wallop, like along the Carolina coast, she can also bring out the best in all of us. Whether it’s in the wake of a natural disaster and you see the ways the everyman shows up and helps his or her neighbors or strangers freely. And the same is true on a less-grand scale on any given Saturday afternoon.

We’re just people outside on Mother Earth reflecting back to her and each other what she’s giving to us. It’s symbiosis at its best.
Our phones are in our packs instead of in our hands and our eyes are up in wonder instead of down in a technological haze.
My mind is on the step I’m taking instead of further down the trail.

And at any and every moment there’s the promise of peace.

Sunshine & Sarcasm,
Lowi & G