Yesterday, I was so over being around people. I was exhausted beyond measure because I have been pushing myself to do more and more and haven’t had time to decompress. The introvert within me needed some moments without pressure. Despite my exhaustion, I knew I had to find solitude. I needed to recharge my soul.
I wanted to be out in the woods.
I went out to the nearby greenbelt tract of woods that my local county conservation board maintains. I needed to hear the birds chirp in the trees and the occasional motor from an airplane or vehicle. I needed no one around except me and my solitude, and the other half, of course, who was about a mile away playing on his 20 meter radio and connected to me via walkie-talkies.
He gets that I need these moments too.
I found peace in those moments, where the sun was waning in the west and the early spring air was cold enough that I needed to keep my gloves nestled in my windbreaker. I found beauty in the way the green new life began to peek through the browns of the past season and the way footprints were left behind in the mud on the trail, telling a story of others. I found perspective too.
I don’t always have to be on to go.
I don’t always have to rush.
I don’t have to do everything on my mental to-do list in a day.
I can sit and enjoy the inspiration.
And so, I did. After taking a few photos to remember the moment by when the details get fuzzy later, I put the phone back in my geocaching bag and then just chose to be. The tree I chose to sit on had a nice random branch that was built like a seat, so I just sat, watching the river and enjoying the trilling birds as the sun sank deeper and deeper to the west.
Before I headed back, I took this video to share with others:
On my half mile hike back to the other half and our car, I took in the sights and sounds again, this time waiting to see if the creatures I had created over time in my mind on these hikes would actually manifest. I watched to see the sprites playfully darting in between the dead underbrush and the wolf pack gathering to run for miles. I almost expected to see the dryad Vesperia wandering in and out of the trees, checking on her orchard as Sigsten and Rhadamanthys the last druid gather their strength and magic from the earth. I imagined Xavier, alone deep in the dark chasm in Kaos, scared for his life and lady Briar flying through the skies on a magical winged unicorn. I thought of Manda and her journey through the forest to figure out her own heritage and find the answers on how to defeat the Necromancer. I expected to meet up with a portal seeker or two.
But then, I remembered that I am the Portal Seeker. I am the one who weaves these stories of fantasy and creates these characters through flights of fancy in natural settings such as these. And I need these moments to do so, every chance I can get.
The creations did manifest, if only in my imagination. They called out to me as I recharged my soul and sparked new stories as I continue another chapter in this story of life I am writing. There’s magic here in this landscape that I found in the waning sunlight of an early spring day on a solitary hike on conservation land. And I learned once again to listen to the magic.
Write your own story.
Stay magical.
And if you’re wondering what characters I am talking about, maybe you should check out my Portals Series stories!
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And as always, #writeyourownstory
K. S. Wood Writes 
Thank you for the reminder…tree therapy is sorely needed 💞💞💞 Sounds like a wonderful place you have to refresh and renew yourself! 💞
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I had forgotten too, until a tiny voice in the back corners of my mind spoke up in the last hour of my shift – you need to go hike outside….
So I did!
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