A Little Bit of Wilderness
Just steps from my backyard
When I first moved to my rural home 45 years ago, the first thing I wanted done was to clear a small path through the woods behind my house. At that time in my life, I was learning to identify birds and wildflowers, something I had never done much of, having lived all my youth in the city.
Many a quiet weekend afternoon I would hurry along the manmade woodland path, toting my binoculars and my bird and wildflower guides. Little by little, I learned to identify different flower and bird species. Always I felt a sense of wonder and of gratitude for the opportunity to be so close to nature in my own backyard.
I kept my little walking path clear for decades. But since retiring nearly seven years ago, I find my perspective on my backyard woodland has changed.
Winter and summer storms have often passed over my property, knocking down trees, creating barriers across the paths. In earlier years I would have hired people to cut and remove the trees as soon as possible so I could continue my woodland walks.
But in the past few years, I have undergone a subtle change in my point of view about my proprietorship of the woods. I realize that the trees left where they have fallen may offer a barrier to me, but not to the animals who call the woods their home.
