Wild Spring--Mount Desert Island

My intended plan was to go out early and let the land guide me to whatever it was ready to offer. I was cruising Acadia unaware of what to seek. It was cold, and I had come in late winter—maybe a bit too early for the leaves. Much of the landscape still felt raw and dormant as the forest tried to awaken from its winter slumber.

The early morning air had some snap to it, hovering around freezing. There was no wind. I stopped here, initially disappointed by the lack of life. Then I saw them—birches in bloom, their red fronds painting a quiet picture both in the tree tops and again in their reflections. I paused a while, happy and filled with wonder at the scene.

As I left, I gave thanks to the trees for the gift they had shared. In offering that thank-you, I anchored myself to that place and to the life within it. For a moment, time and place dissolved. Stillness filled me.