There are times when life, and the problems that come with it, feel too big. Much too big. Too big to manage.
It is comforting, though, that in these times, the scale of nature can be so reassuring. When life is too big, the ocean is always bigger. A proper forest filled with redwoods growing over their fallen brethren is bigger. The life outside my head is bigger.
That has been a huge part of the solace I've found in running away to the North Coast in the last few weeks; immersing myself in nature is a balm to my tattered soul, letting me feel healed, even for a moment. Letting the scope of my view expand so far beyond my own troubles that they seem manageable. Letting my eyes rest on unreachable horizons, wander unknowable labyrinths of ferns and wildflowers. Letting the cool air blow through my dark head, refreshing my thoughts, even if only for a moment.
In dark, heavy times, nature is salve. It can feel like the only salve.
