Raw and Real

Several years ago when I was living with my grandma and going to school in Twin Falls, Idaho I had a little moment of realization that has stuck with me through the years. My grandma's house was on the outskirts of town; it was flat and open, and often quite windy. My hair was long at the time and I hated the wind blowing it all over in my face. Even when I pulled it back, the wispy hair would be in my face. I used to get so frustrated with that.

I had my dog there with me also, and I would take him on daily walks down the long, straight roads, that disappeared into the horizon. I loved to walk those roads because they had the perfect view of the western sky as the sun set. So many nights the sky was just on fire with color.

Well, one such evening, I was walking Beaugy and it happened to be a windy evening. Generally I would end up cutting the walk short out of frustration. But for some reason, this particular evening, as the wind hit my face, and blew my hair around, I had a wonderful thought. I had no control over the wind. And suddenly I felt totally alive and exhilarated. This was nature, raw and real. This I had no control over. This human kind had no control over. With all the ways in which we humans mess with, change, and blotch things up in nature, this was one thing we simply had to bow to. I realized there are some things in nature mankind cannot control... and wind was one of them. The power of the wind can be very destructive, weather, rain and other natural occurrences can take a huge toll on human life and property...but there it was. Another powerful reason to respect the wonders of nature. I love the idea that there are some things we simply have no control over. We cannot dam up the wind, or change its course to suit our needs. We can harness its power, but we can't control when or where that wind will blow.

What a wonderful, enlivening thought.