The fam and I got to spend some quiet time away from town. We don’t live too far from Big Trees, CA. It’s only a little over an hour away, but it feels like a completely different world up there. Big Trees is higher in elevation from where we live and it’s a great place to get away from the heat and be in nature.
We rented a house for a few days and lived through four days of the boys not having their video games. They still had wi-fi, but at least limited to i-pad games and YouTube. They survived and surprisingly they were civil with each other. Very few brotherly arguments. It was so pleasant!
My biggest getting-in-touch-with-nature-moment was when we hiked one of the trails at Big Trees National Park. It was gorgeous! It’s been years since I’ve been there and the giant trees were just as majestic as I remembered. It was calming, peaceful, and walking around those giants made me think of how small we (people) are. There I was standing within a grove of redwoods. Some of which have been rooted in their spot for hundreds if not thousands of years. Despite storms, fires, and human interference they’ve survived and thrived. If they could speak, what would they say? Oh my god, the stories they could tell. The things we could learn. But they are silent giants. To me it adds to their magic.
I could have stood there forever… looking upwards.
So what was my big thought? It doesn’t feel so big now, but it did then. The thought seems more simple now — just Be.
Be like these great trees and thrive in the environment you’re given. It’s their presence that make the Park beautiful. With each year, they grow stronger, taller, thicker. With each year, they become more resilient. Their beauty and mystery deepen with age. With each year, their reach gets closer to the sun and moon. And everyday, they stand in their grandness, to provide shade, shelter, comfort, freshness, and peace.
Maybe it was too many thoughts? LOL! But I felt refreshed after our short hike. And I gotta give the trees all the credit for that.
Here’s a link to Parks’ website. (I have no affiliation. Just a big fan)
Big Trees Park
