Monday, October 6, 2008

Backwards

There are two trails through the woods at this place where I'm staying in Virginia. This morning I walked them in the opposite direction and was surprised to find how different things looked. Yesterday I completely missed the family of giant toadstools that look like an illustration from a children's fairy tale.  I didn't see that two towering evergreens were uprooted and only remained standing because they were leaning against other trees.  The expertise of the steps carved out of the clay soil was more evident climbing up them than it had been going down.  I can only imagine how different my life would look to me now if I could walk backwards through it and see it from the other other side.

1 comment:

Elizabeth said...

"Two roads diverged in a yellow wood/And sorry I could not travel both and be one traveller/Long I stood and looked down one as far as I could/to where it bent in the undergrowth"

Taking the road less travelled has its benefits, right? Love your thinking and the words that come out.