Sunday morning we walked to the Tippecanoe River from the family campground and enjoyed a bright sunshiny fall day. The temperatures were warmer than they had been in the tree-shaded camping area. The sunshine was bright and the air had the smell of fall.
As we sat on the bench overlooking the river, and my son-in-law and Landon were below us throwing rocks to make big splashes, I was reminded once again of the beauty of nature. Much as I love spring and summer, warmer temperatures, not wearing coats and hats and gloves and boots, there is a certain beauty about fall. Mother Nature is whisking her paintbrush across the trees. The fall flowers are blooming. The grass is taking on the slight brown colors as it prepares for the dormancy of winter.
How timely that we are reading Emerson and Thoreau. The two best-known Transcendentalists conveyed their thoughts about the beauty of nature. Thoreau spent two years, two months, and two days living in his cabin at Walden Pond and wrote many essays about his experiences there.
My time at the campground this past weekend was limited. My heavy student load this semester has been bogged down with grading essays from 100+ students in four ENGL 111 classes. I didn't join the rest of the family until late Saturday afternoon, and I spent some time in the camper that evening grading. But I did feel refreshed and relaxed on Sunday. I slept for 10 hours in the camper Saturday night. Nothing can compare to breakfast cooked over the open fire - thick slices of bacon, scrambled eggs, hash browns fried in the cast iron skillet. My Fitbit logged over 10,000 steps by the time we left the campground at 2:00 p.m. , just for Sunday's steps!
Take some time, even if you don't think you can spare it, to ge outside and enjoy nature. Your spirit can be lifted by emulating Thoreau, even if it is just for an hour or so.
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