The fresh, crisp air carries the birds’ chirping, tweeting, and cheeping. A collection of tones that ring and resonate. A squirrel scampers around, up and through the trees completely knowledgeable of the frustration he inflicts on my dog. My eyes drift from the commotion to a hummingbird magically hovering above the feeder out of reach of the campfire’s smoke. She extracts nectar from the yellow plastic flower until another bird appears and chases her away.
When my phone beeps, I wonder why I allow it to pollute this environment. But I look at the update from CNN, Youth Hospitalized and Dying From the Effects of Vaping. It states one of every twenty youth is choosing to vape. A quote from the Juul CEO assures users that concerns are unwarranted.
Wondering what prompts humans to intentionally poison their bodies that provide life, I move to a different chair as the wind shifts pushing the clouds from the smoldering logs to invade my lungs. By shifting a little left, my lungs clear. This smoke is a natural process of regeneration not a man made inhalant produced from chemicals.
I watch it drift into the sky carrying a prayer of thankfulness for the beauty of nature and asking for the protection of humankind.
My phone beeps again, I reach over and turn it off without looking at the screen.
If only this moment in the forest could be boxed, shipped and sold around the world for others to experience. But then the commercialization would tarnish the purity of the landscape. Relaxing sounds emitting from a machine, posters of a woodland scene, or smells of pine dispensed through a diffuser cannot replace the reality of nature.
I am no Henry David Thoreau; I still go for long walks with my iPhone in my back pocket. But I am wise enough to mute it and leave it pocketed. I exist in a modern world and even though I embellish life with modern technology, the calming value of nature prompts me to recognize what is important. Our significance doesn’t come from things but experiences.
The fire’s smoke carries my thoughts upward and then a bit gets in my eyes forcing me again to move. However, I do so willingly knowing my mind as well as my lungs will clear when the fresh air is inhaled.
When feeling overwhelmed, unplug.
You said it well! I wholeheartedly agree with this!