A walk in the nature

There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle. ~ Albert Einstein

There are a few events that changed the way I looked at life. I have been always an optimist, always seeing the glass half-full, most of the time a happy person. But I haven't always looked at everything as a miracle... a few events in my life started to change me and here I am today: capable to get out in the sun, even when it's cold, and go on a nice hike... paying attention to each bud you encounter (the magnolia trees started to get buds during the warm spell of the last few weeks), to each little bird chirping to each sun ray coming your way.

Many years ago I would never hike through the forest in the middle of the winter. What could be there in the middle of the winter?

The miracles of life! Hiking today through Royal Botanical Gardens - we stopped every few steps to listen. There were woodpeckers we could just hear first, then following the sound we would find them in the tree.

There were the squirrels, hiding somewhere in the tree, you could hear their breaking the peanut shells fast-fast-fast... stop fast-fast-fast... stop.

There were chickadees (or maybe finches, I never really know - a short course in aviary is needed) chirping in the bushes... if you'd be still for just a few moments they would come to feed from your palm.

There was a frozen lake that had to be discovered: the ice was thin and full of holes at the edge of the water, but proved quite solid just a few steps away; rest assured, no one stepped on the ice, although not for lack of trying!

There was the quiet red-tailed hawk up in the tree, and all 4 of us in the garden at the moment would try to snap the perfect picture of him while he was gazing unworldly to us. It is an interesting feeling to be watched by such a wonderful creature: they must know they rule their own world...

There was the small path through the woods - unmarked, but definitely a path we've never seen in the spring... after checking there are no 'do not walk through' signs we boldly went where no one has been before.

There were the small fuzzy buds on the magnolia trees, in the splendid sun making you think lightly of spring and warmth.

There was the red berry on the Wholly Winterberry - with no green leaves, but a very bright spot of colour.

All small miracles, all just sitting there waiting for us to stop and discovered them. And we did! Maybe not as many as we could have, but for a former corporate software developer, always rushing from point A to point B, and an energetic 8yo boy who has more energy than the Energizer Bunny - it was a large bunch of miracles in the sun.

I hope you're finding the time to discover one miracle today!