Lost in Wonder
The sun’s great orange disc was well above the horizon and my lengthening shadow diminished as it stretched far across the meadow. The bucolic landscape here has a great attraction, with dense hedgerows and irregular fields framed by precipitous peaks, where its people contain the quality of the place. As I took my distance again and ambled over the long hummocky fields, I spied a fluffle of baby rabbits feeding and frolicking. I couldn’t help feeling a delicious shiver of excitement as I spotted the white flash of their scuts as they quickly disappeared beneath the tangled hedgerows, where the green of brambles and nettles was well advanced.
As I rested a while and took my ease awaiting their return, I observed a young man with eyes like cold silver with his young daughter Comfort, she became mesmerised, sweeping a tumble of her blonde hair from her eyes, with eyelids fluttering, she watched a spider weaving her intricate web. I moved a little closer and gave her pause, letting my silence hang. Just a little girl lost in wonder, her daddy knew she would be amazed at the spectacle as she had not lived long enough to have seen many wondrous things and all the magic she has yet to see. She smiled an engaging smile, her eyes twinkling with merriment, I then felt a presence that jolted me, as it suddenly occurred to me that I have lived much longer than both and still haven’t seen everything, highlighting that it is always too soon to be closing down our sense of wonder. Just to observe and study the spider in its instinctive simplicity is to be reminded of what we are, that we ourselves are creatures too. Comfort clambered into her pushchair rubbing her eyes as she dreamed her way into tomorrow.
We may have become detached from a simpler, carefree way of life, we have abstracted ourselves from nature and it may leave a dull and sad longing somewhere deep in our psyche, but how do we overcome apathy and ignorance? I believe beauty can stop us in our tracks, creating enduring memories and raising our expectations of ourselves and each other. Seeing beauty in nature can nourish our souls, but I judge not how another’s taste is caught. However, with the shockingly rising incidences of mental health problems coalescing particularly in the younger generation, I fear they have less physical freedom than free-range hens, depriving them of access to the profound inspiration and celebration of the carefree aimlessly life affirming pastimes within nature.
Both young and old may have lost something so precious, a debacle and of great disaster. It is hoped that these short stories of mine may leave an effective tracing over the reader’s mind, for they are as true as long observation, and keen eyesight could possibly make it. I truly hope that it may motivate and inspire them to take a step for themselves and see the wonders that surround them. Nature is good for both our physical and mental health, for the environment, our overall wellbeing, and for bringing joy to the domain of our hearts.
