Nature

My closeness to nature often requires one of two elements, fire or water. I normally would have to travel to truly enjoy either one. Not too long ago, I purchased a fire pit and have had opportunity to sit in the back yard with the family and roast hot dogs and marshmallows while gazing at the canopy of black that arches above us at night.

At first it was hard to get the kids to put down their iPhones long enough to enjoy what was in front of, above, and around them. Now they more readily embrace the moments we share around the fire. We listen to the popping and snapping sounds emanating from the logs as flames lick and consume them bit by bit, turning them to ash. The smell of burning pine or cedar wafts through the air, filling our nostrils.

We turn our heads up and ponder the diamonds fixed in the night sky. Here we are, passing vapors. We commune with the eternal governors of the night. It is peaceful. It is stable. Crickets sing, my daughter points out a constellation, and I am at peace. One with nature. It is where I belong.