At Peace with the Woods

       This past weekend I spent a few hours in the woods behind my house. I was only there for a short time, but the different aspects of the woods had an effect on me. I felt in peace with the woods because I wasn’t the strongest or the weakest aspect in the woods. The big, tall trees towered over me and I felt small. The birds and small animals made me feel tall. I was right in the middle. There were some trees I felt stronger than. There was one tree that I bent backwards to get to the larger, stronger tree behind it. I walk back up the small hill and looked down at the bigger tree and the small tree bent back. Again, I felt at peace because I was in the middle. I was also in the middle of the woods. I looked all around me and I saw nothing but fallen leaves and trees of varying size. The birds were flying through the air and squirrels were climbing trees, chasing each other. These animals were creating chaos, but I blocked them out. I blocked out all of the noises and activities going on around me. It was just the woods and I. I looked up to the sky and the trees seemed to stretch forever and I, again, felt small. I loaded my gun and aimed for the target. I took a deep breath and pulled the trigger. The sound of the gun rang through the woods and all the other sounds in the woods stopped. I felt stronger than the woods. I was back in the middle, in peace with the woods, because looking up watching the birds fly over the trees made me feel small again. I accepted the middle because there is freedom in the woods. I am free in the woods, but I cannot be stronger than the woods. The woods were stronger than me and I understood because the power and might of the trees were overpowering. The woods helped me understand that I could be at peace, if I only allowed it to happen. I allowed the woods to act on me so that I could change into a better person.