100 Paths
winter has long been my least favorite season
the cold air quickly chills me to the bone
I'd like to hibernate but I'm often lured outside
when it isn’t an artic cold deep freeze
by my dog, sunshine, sunsets, and star-filled skies
one day there was no external motivation
but with the new year comes new resolve
and a desire to move my body daily
urged me outside before the five o’clock darkness
I brought my headphones but put them away
deciding instead to listen to nature’s sound
and so I found myself alone outside
my furry companion otherwise occupied
out of habit I started toward my usual route
when I saw a path I usually pass
it looked stunning in the white and grey shades
of winter’s snow and frost and fog
I stopped and stared with a smile
pulled out my phone and took a picture
to share the joy of this moment
nature is one of my favorite places to be
for it offers a thousand opportunities
to pause and delight in beautiful simplicity
I admired nature’s brush strokes
overgrown bushes curved towards each other
reaching and interlocking, merging as one
the archway it created called me to walk through
the tall trees on the other side
offered a measure of depth and grandeur
I walked forward and stepped under
laughing out loud with a silly sense of adventure
entering the doorway to my own secret garden
every few steps I took my gaze was drawn
to the many different ways I could go
I started taking pictures of them all
marveling at the change in background
of every path I saw and every corner I turned
as I walked my thoughts flowed freely
and I contemplated life’s parallels to nature
just as there were a hundred paths here
there are many therapies and paths to healing trauma
yours may be straight, windy, narrow, or wide
some are fun, others littered with obstacles
and just as you think you’ve found an easy one
you might turn a corner and the biting winds
remind you nature is wild and ever-changing
challenge is a part of every transformation
sometimes you have to make your own way
or change your perspective to see new openings
maybe you have to persist, or stop to rest
or withdraw for solitude and silence
when I thought I was too cold to continue
I ran through a field of ice crusted snow
I was having too much fun to stop
as I explored new ground and crawled under bushes
I still remember the soft earth in that tree cave
the layers of leaves cushioning the dirt
the canopy of branches holding up past snow
the warm touch of air sheltered from the wind
the comfort of sitting in nature’s embrace
I felt like a child in a secret fort and chuckled
realizing what taking pictures had gotten me to do
in trying to show you all the paths I could find
for the first time in my life
I saw beauty everywhere
in the weeping brown grass that bowed with grace
in the death of winter that brings life to stillness
in the cold stones that hold ancient history
in the old stump that opens and curves
in the majestic tree reaching up to the heavens
and the worn black and blue door that burst with color
on the greyest day in the most magnificent way
my heart cracked open with love
so that what was once ugly to me
became the most beautiful thing
and then I was back where I started
leaving the archway to my secret garden
another time I might have watched the sunset
but the day's clouds encouraged me back inside
I kicked off my boots and hurried through the house
warmed my cold numb fingers in water so I could write
and tell you about my favorite day this winter
as night quickly fell outside
my inner light shone brightly
for what I most want you to know this season
is that healing happens a million different ways
even in winter’s cold grey and night’s blackness
today I healed by meditating, eating colorful food,
praying, trusting my intuition, walking, pausing
being curious, exploring, listening, looking, loving
moving, smiling, wondering, persisting, stopping
crawling, sitting, laughing, remembering, running
changing, taking pictures, writing, creating, sharing
your life is your art, your light, your way
the path to healing is as creative as you can be
your mind, heart, and body heal in every act of love
every therapy that helps you know yourself better
every moment where you feel safe
every form of true self expression
and every time you see and appreciate beauty
that old blue door will never again be ugly to me
neither will the deepest wounds or darkest parts
pain is but a door in your story
a path on the journey to love your creativity
-Carol Korenowski
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