The Seat of the Soul

Each time I step away for a bit into nature I mumble to myself, “I am Home.” Then I ask myself on the next breath, “What is that? What is it that defines home?”At times home is a description, an intricate noun of familiarity setting a place, person, or thing to feel a connection to our soul. I am home in my lover’s arms. I am home with my children around me feeling safe. I am home while holding a friend’s hand in need. I am home through laughter and deep conversations. But my true home, where I find peace, solace and acceptance, is nature. Whether it be on a river kayaking or collecting heart-shaped rocks, or sitting on a giant boulder witnessing a waterfall, I am home again. The outside world becomes an illusion. Struggles don’t exist in the mind.  Nature doesn’t judge or asks anything of what I’m not. It accepts my essence in just being present in the stillness of the now. In these moments problems melt, and like decomposed soil, I shred the inklings of my humanness and become light in spirit. It is meditation at its finest. It is life at its sweetest. Nature allows me to get lost and find myself in the center of the universe. I will always search for glimpses of nature throughout my days. This afternoon I took a sweet woman to a doctor's appointment. And I had to make a U-turn while on the way. I crossed the French Broad River and gasped at the scenery. She has intellectual disabilities but I went on and on about the beauty. She smiled at my whimsical expressions. "Isn't it beautiful? It's just magical. Like, look over there how the light hits the water. This is for reals!" She agreed. And I heard her gasped with deep gratitude for pointing it out. Maybe it was exasperation at my giddiness but I must believe that somewhere in her limited capabilities her spirit recognizes nature as home. Once I dropped her off she thanked me and said, "I liked the drive over water! It was nice." Her eyes twinkled. She sparkled in truth of all she is...magnificent. Home. It's the seat of our soul. It's the essence of awareness. It's the OM of all universal wisdom. May you find it like we did today. And may you also feel the call of God through those things you witness.