Sarasota News Leader
April 26, 2013
Page 86
If you are stuck in a leafless place, bring the
outdoors in. New Yorkers are masters of this.
Enduring memories I have of a stay in Manhattan are trees "sprouting" from the tops of skyscrapers and flower sellers on every corner.
Wildness is easy to come by in this area. Sarasota County has dozens of parks (visit www.
scgov.net). Two state parks — Myakka River
and Oscar Scherer — offer miles of trails. But
you do not have to hike. You can picnic or sit
on a bench and take in the view.
Nature is not just a place to "visit." It is the
slowing down, the change of pace, the "being"
that is important. In Pilgrimage to Villambrosa John Elder writes, "Our expeditions away
from routine are not for the purpose of discovering wildness in the world outside ourselves
but rather for recovering it within us."
"Wilderness settles peace on the soul" says Edward O. Wilson, the Harvard biologist who has
spent a lifetime studying the natural world.
So when you are depressed by the news or
your appointment book is overly full, remember that healing creation is always available
to us. %
