I Wonder

I hear the crunch of leaves underfoot as I follow a deer path through the woods.  It is a mixed coniferous forest in the coastal mountain range.  More leaves fall from the trees, coming to rest wherever a slight breeze takes them.  Overhead the branches rustle slightly as they are swayed back and forth by the breeze.  Sunlight dapples the forest floor and dances in time with the trees.  There is a freshness in the air, as if it had rained recently.

I am alone on this path, although I know others have gone before me and I am sure others will follow.  The forest opens up onto a meadow.  I see a great variety of plants, lush and vibrant as if tended by a gardener.  At the far end of the meadow there is a gate that I must pass through.  I decide to continue on through the gate.  On the other side of the gate the path is no longer just an animal run.

Shortly after passing through the gate the path begins to climb.  The forest here is more dense with a higher population of evergreens.  Due to the evergreens there is less underbrush, giving a sense of openness despite the crowding of trees.  There is also a smell of pine and fir in the air.  Soon the terrain becomes so steep that the path needs to zig zag up the mountain.

On one of the corners I meet a fellow traveler.  I pause for a short rest and conversation.  We happen to be headed in the same direction so we decide to continue on together.  Sometimes the path climbs steeply and moving forward is very hard.  Sometimes the path dips downward and we are granted a reprise from our travail.  Through it all we push on together.

As we get near our destination the path climbs for one final ascent.  Due to the steepness of the terrain the trees have thinned out.  The breeze has also died down.  Having come this far together, we don't always need to use words. We help each other up and keep going.  Someone had cut a seat into an old stump on the side of the path.  In the back of the seat is carved the word PAX.

Finally we have reached the mountain top.  We come out of the trees onto a ledge overlooking the valley.  Far below the world moves in slow motion, separated by a distance measured by time.  I sit and rest with the sun warm on my face, seeing life from a new perspective.