My patio is my favorite place, specifically after dinner in late summer, when the sinking sun is casting long shadows across my secluded back yard, while the various birds and squirrels and chipmunks are gathering their dinner, and the Earth wraps you in a comforting blanket of her residual heat from the day. It is here that I remember that I am a child of God. It is here, in this peaceful atmosphere of serenity, where I reconnect with the spirit of the Earth and reflect on just how absolutely beautiful and incredible she is. When I observe the five different species of coniferous trees surrounding my yard and how majestically they reach for the clear blue sky; when I watch how the squirrels feast on the seeds at the very tops, inevitably dropping scraps for the ground-feeding birds; the erratic flight on the chipmunk, when I hear the steady tick of the Cardinal, the alarming squawk of the Blue Jay, and the hilarious argumentative chatter of the other squirrels fighting for dominance over the bird bath, the bird feeder, and this tree or that -- that is when my soul is calmed. That is when I realize that there is so much in this world that just doesn't matter. There is so much artificial nonsense created to make us feel anxious, inadequate, and any other myriad of poor diet & social media driven mental illnesses...and it just doesn't matter. It really doesn't. What matters is being one with nature, with the universe, with God, with yourself. What matters is knowing that we are part of this amazing creation of God's. What matters is knowing that God wants us to be happy, and that by design we are content, beautiful creatures, capable of amazing things. Unfortunately, too many of us lose touch with this Divine nature and get caught up in the greed, the materialism, the 'hustle and bustle', the constant barrage of advertisments and social media telling us what we need to be truly happy. It's all false. All you need to be truly happy is to the knowledge that you are part of this Divine creation, and you need to stay connected to it. So here on my patio is where I will remain...until the critters have nestled in for the night, the crickets have begun their chorus, and the glorious sun has sunk below the horizon.

Imagine an old pickup truck hustling down a rural dirt road. You know that plume of dust kicked up at its rear? That's been my reality for the greater part of my life; a dust storm of chaos, confusion and primarily, delusion. I began chasing the dim tail lights of that noisy old truck as a naive young girl. In the beginning, I just followed because I had heard that was what you do and I am very much a rule-follower. I was convinced I had to chase it, catch it, stop it. I thought that big 'ol ball of dust was mine, all mine. My purpose in life was to defeat it. So I sped and I tried to outrun it. Other times I swerved, trying to get around it and landed myself upside down in a ditch. Some days it was boring and monotonous so I veered off the road, took a break and watched the dust settle a bit. Occasionally, I could see but not for too long because I was eager and ambitious. So I hopped on its tail once again determined to conquer it. Inevitably, I landed in the ditch damaged and broken unable to get up. So there I lay, resting. It was awkwardly comfortable. The dust settled a little and I realized that lying in the ditch was much more pleasing than chasing that unending dust storm. So I stayed and I sat. I watched, I listened, with abundant curiosity. I practiced over and over again. Deep down I knew there was another way. There had to be because chasing that dust cloud had just about killed me. After some time contemplating from the trench I noticed simple but wondrous things. The sun began to shine and I could see a little. There was more than that dirty screen I had stared at for so long. Graceful wildflowers surrounded me. Beauty embraced me. It was in the trees, in the ongoing prairies and the vast, vast sky. A bright, constant sun showed me the way. Birds chirped and I heard sounds of insects I couldn't even recognize. And occasionally it fell silent; absolutely silent. What an extraordinary sound. One I had never heard before. I call it peace. And then there was a cool breeze. It gently soothed my sweaty skin. I relaxed, fully relaxed. I noticed the smell of clean fresh air. The kind you inhale and it is sweet and pure. It clears all of the leftover debris from your airways and leaves you satisfied.