Sunday, May 13, 2007

Simply Wild in Big Sur

With wild nature as our primary teacher we went simply and wildly...
I am certain that the weekend was much longer than a weekend. From our sensory walk with eyes closed to the smells of the many herbs; from butterflies to four-leaved sorrel... we had many magical moments. It was a good reminder for me to remember the importance in creating and appreciating the simple moments of life. May a little bit of wildness make its way into each of our daily lives. Two claps one bow... Steven. For more photos click here: Workshop Photos

Here is the poem that I read and used to begin the workshop description.

The Summer Day
by Mary Oliver (from New and Selected Works)

Who made the world?
Who made the swan, and the black bear?
Who made the grasshopper?
This grasshopper, I mean—
the one who has flung herself out of the grass,
the one who is eating sugar out of my hand,
who is moving her jaws back and forth instead of up and down
who is gazing around with her enormous and complicated eyes.
Now she lifts her pale forearms and thoroughly washes her face.
Now she snaps her wings open, and floats away.

I don't know exactly what a prayer is.
I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down
in the grass, how to kneel down in the grass,
how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields,
which is what I have been doing all day.
Tell me, what else should I have done?
Doesn't everything die at last, and too soon?
Tell me, what is it you plan to do
with your one wild and precious life?


For the original workshop description click here: Simply Wild: Experiencing Nature