That walk in the forest

I usually don’t go back in time, much less when it comes to posts I should have published but never did.

I move on, I stay in the present.

But today I was about to write about someone else’s creativity (and I will), when I came through this text I had written in 2016 about a forest walk in Salzburg.

In the new reality we find ourselves in, where we have to live constantly with masks covering our mouths preventing us from breathing normal, this text I had written 4 years ago struck a cord with me.

I went to see if I still had the pictures from that day. I did. So here it is, a post I had never published about the need to breathe, nature and that walk in the forest …

“There are days you feel you need to breathe, not in a metaphorical kind of way. That too sometimes. But really breathe nature’s breath, to let your lungs be filled with that pure air, to look around and see the trees, the branches, the leaves softly moving with the morning air. To feel the scents and hear the sounds of nature.

When we entered that forest near Salzburg, I breathed deeply, looked around and felt at peace. My sense of smell heightened at once by the garlicky smell of the wild chives carelessly growing around. There was a cold feeling mixed with a damp freshness from last night’s showers.

Then nature greeted us with its usual symphony, bird songs, the crackling sound of tree branches greeting the day and also an assortment of grunts here and there. They sounded like callings. It must be the wild boars my husband said.

We feel our daughter’s excitement growing, she walks faster and away. We whisper to her to stay close. We explain about being quiet, respecting your environment and the living creatures around. Also how it is wiser to walk together as a family as we may encounter wild boar families that could feel threatened for their young ones. She understands. She knows how mommies can be protective. And then we see one in our path. He looks at us and stops. We stop too. He observes us momentarily. Then he rushes off like he is late for some family gathering.

I look at my daughter and her eyes are shining, she asks if we saw it, did we really see it? Yes, yes we answer. She is sorry she didn’t get a picture with her small camera. It is ok, mommy got one with her big camera. But the best was to encounter one, just like that. She agrees. We proceed, I feel grateful. Grateful for the extension of me with the bright, curious, shining eyes. Grateful for the pure air. Grateful to start the day surrounded by such beauty and life. No phones, no computer, just fresh air and the feeling of complete freedom even if it is just for a split second.

And to be able to breathe, just breathe …“

Sometimes it is good to look back.