HOW TO LET A WALK IN THE FOREST INSPIRE YOUR WRITING
FOREST WRITING
Have you ever gone for a walk with a naturalist or a bird watcher? They miss nothing.
“Look! Did you see that? Here, feel the underside of this leaf.” I want to journey through life, seeing and writing about the beauty in every blade of grass under my feet, and story characters in each cloud.
Where I live, there is an area called “City Forest,” 680 acres of evergreens, birches, maples, and oaks with 9 miles of crisscrossing paths. A mile-long boardwalk crosses a large bog in the middle of the area.
All these paths lead ‘nowhere,’ yet people arrive every day to follow them. With a journey that begins at a parking lot and ends up back in the same place, no two people have the same goal for being in the woods.
Outfitted with pedometers or cameras to gather images of their grandchildren at play, they pass with a nod and a smile. I go for exercise and fresh air and ideas for writing.
My companion soaks up the landscape with its lady slippers and wild rabbits, which will become watercolor paintings later.
ONE PATH, MANY JOURNEYS
I feel a subliminal attraction behind all these ‘goals’ that falls into Mystery—a yearning to connect with the Divine (by whatever name) through communion with nature.
People in City Forest walk the same paths but travel unique journeys. And they all end up in the parking lot when they are finished.
I yearn for clear days in life for everyone to experience the opening of spring flowers, the colors of autumn leaves, or the stillness of a summer day on whatever path they may be on.
However, some days we find ourselves walking from crack to crack on a deserted sidewalk in the rain. Or our travels may take us through a desert with no distinct trails, and we must rely on the position of the sun and the strength of a camel.
No matter.
NO REGRETS
How do we live to have no regrets when we find ourselves back in the parking lot?
The answer differs for each person, but it arises from love, curiosity, and creativity.
I encourage you to take metaphorical walks with a bird watcher to see what you may be missing. They will teach you to observe with new eyes.
“What just moved? Look! Do you see the Red-winged blackbird behind the yellow birch? She wants to distract us from seeing her nearby nest. “Let’s go around this stand of hemlocks and see what we find…”
Every naturalist or avian aficionado is made of the same stuff as a writer, artist, or gourmet chef.
They wander with curiosity, awareness, wonder, and a passion, not only for seeing where the trail leads, but for willingness to step away from it – to pause and consider the bog instead of drowning in it.
For years I put off creative writing – too ‘busy’ earning a living. Oh yes, I had other reasons.
I was afraid I might get lost in a forest of ideas. I wouldn’t have known a gerund if it flapped its feathers in front of me.
Then one day, I decided that I would strike out – no pedometer, no map, no goal other than to see what emerged along the way. And that, my friends, is how TheReflectivePen got started.
A BOARDWALK FOR WRITERS
Right in the center of City Forest is a large wetlands refuge, or bog. I often get ‘bogged down’ by ignorance and doubt in a stroll through the forest of creative writing.
My fear that this swamp will swallow me keeps me from writing everything that is in my heart.
That’s when I am grateful for those who have gone before and built a boardwalk. If you are one of those who have constructed a way to safely cross the ‘writing bog’ (and you know who you are), thank you.
On the other hand, if you are among the many, many people I meet who say, “I wish I could write,” I want to say, “There is a way – complete with handrails.”
HANDRAILS
The original mile-long wooden trail that crosses the bog in City Forest had nothing to keep anyone from falling into the wetlands; and also, nothing to keep trespassers from stepping off, killing the delicate flora of the preserve and destroying the habitat of the forest denizens.
Today there are handrails and places to rest along the boardwalk – benches to pause long enough to see a lady’s slipper hidden in the moss and hear the rustle of a red fox scurrying out of sight.
Writing requires the same kind of pauses and resting places. And a willingness not to step off the boardwalk, destroying the protected wetlands.
A bog full of our doubts and fears also holds delicate blooms of rare insights we might otherwise miss. Writing asks us to be an observer, a philosopher, and a guardian of life.
GETTING LOST
I once thought I wasn’t smart enough to write because I didn’t have road signs and maps and a GPS. I spent most of my time hunting in ‘how-to’ books. However, they eliminate the fun of wandering through a forest of words, phrases, and metaphors, getting lost in ideas.
One day, in City Forest, I left the main trail to explore a bunny trail, and before I knew it, I was completely turned around with no idea where I was.
I knew which way was north and nervously headed in that direction, knowing I would come to something I recognized eventually. About 30 minutes later, the parking lot came into view like an oasis in the desert.
I later learned that a bear roamed in the restricted area I had wandered into. In my panic to find something familiar, I missed all evidence of a bear – including posted warnings on the trees.
Some signs are worth being aware of on our journey! If you are a regular follower of this blog, you will find yourself wandering along with me as I explore one path after another. That is my joy in life, and I encourage you to explore writing the same way.
Another story you may enjoy about a walk in the Maine woods is ‘How To Leave A Legacy Story.’
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