Mother Nature can be violent on occasion, but also majestic with a sense of humor. Nature, herself, generally can be a healing presence. Go on a walk to see what can be discovered. Sit and lean against a large tree; relax and breathe deeply. Be grateful for her beauty.
As an artist as well as a former art teacher, I have found that the arts can be a healing practice when we are suffering through hard times. It can also be a wonderful habit when we are so filled with awe that we simply must draw, write, or sing!
Mother Nature's Violence
First of all, it seems that weather extremes have been visiting many places around the world. Our own community recently suffered a record breaking tornado. A Doppler team calculated that ground wind speeds were 309-318 mph. Roughly two hundred homes were flattened to the foundation or damaged beyond repair. Four lives were lost while many were injured. Following the tornadic losses our community suffered, I felt moved to write a poem. My poem was written about (as well as from) tornado debris which blew onto our property, five miles from town. The words in all caps are quoting various papers which had blown into our yard.
Tornado Debris Field Findings
(ALL CAPS FROM FOUND PAPER SCRAPS)
Random rips of wrapping paper - pink, yellow, red:
memories of birthdays & Christmases riding through the air -
found roughly five miles as the crow flies or the wind blows.
We gathered insulation, bits of tar paper, siding, shingles and
six inch long splinters of wood stuck acupuncture-like into the ground.
Orphaned pages of books, pamphlets, receipts: 70's, 80's, 90's,
HONOR ROLL, GAS RECEIPT, PHYSICAL THERAPY INSTRUCTIONS.
All these flew as they were ABOARD THE WILD GOOSE.
Greenfieldians may feel we are taking SIMPLE SIDE STEPS
OR FORWARD/BACKWARD STEPS.
We have SOME RATHER ENTERPRISING INDIVIDUALS.
Many machines accumulated THAT PRODUCE MORE HORSEPOWER.
It feels as if we must be WORKING FROM THE BOTTOM UP,
to COVER SMALL AREAS and large.
When Mother Nature's rebellion has blown through our lives,
folks may think - WHAT THE HELL AM I DOING? In frustration,
SUDDENLY SHE WANTED TO GET OUT, TO BE FREE,
TO HIGH-TAIL IT FOR HOME...but where is her home now?
Will we have more than
THREE MONTHS OF GRUELING WORK? Our community
needs WELL DESERVED REST AND RELAXATION.
A SEWING PATTERN FOR A BEAR makes me wish for
an easy step by step to normalcy. The wrapping paper
provokes a desire to gift wrap the old days. But,
as I was gathering words for this poem, my pen ran out of ink. Meanwhile,
we work and wait for
A FLUSH OF LIGHT IN THE NORTHEAST
to bring a new day.
Mother Nature's Majesty
Secondly, we have seen the direct opposite. Along with weather extremes, it seems that the skies have become more majestic. Here are a couple of amazing ones. I have never seen such intense sky colors (without filters) or unusual clouds as I have in the past year or two.
Mother Nature's Sense of Humor
Thirdly, Mother Nature may show herself to have a great sense of humor! Here is an example. The first photo is a shot of a cicada, freshly emerged from its exoskeleton.
Typically cicadas will attach themselves to a tree to shed their outer layer. Well, this one chose an interesting spot to attach for its grand emergence.
Meet our elf statue, Bjorn. I just had to laugh! Let's just say that this cicada found a unique location for his unveiling!
Whether you are having difficult times or pleasant times, I highly encourage you to connect to nature and to write, to photograph, to draw, and to sing in order to record, to heal, to commemorate and live to your fullest! Remember, the arts and nature are keys to living a healthy life! Here is one of my first blogs: LESSONS FROM MOTHER NATURE.
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