Today I decided to climb Cowles Mountain.  I'm working towards better conditioning so that this summer I can climb this volcano in Guatemala and also, because I love just getting out and connecting with nature....anyway, today is kind of a big day for me and I thought that working off some physical energy might help with my mental energy...which it usually does!
Anyway,  as I entered the trail I asked the mountain to show me whatever I needed to learn or pay attention to and that I would gladly listen.  As I began up the steep incline, I began to notice hummingbird song.  Lots of hummingbird song.  Then it began...hummingbirds traveling with me for the entire hike.  I'm not just talking one or two hummingbirds but every few feet there would be another bird or two.  I must have seen 25 hummingbirds today on this hike and heard even more.  No one said that Mother Nature is subtle!  What is beautiful about this, is that hummingbird reminds me to connect with life's joys, the sweet nectar of life.  Great message for me as I started out a little anxious and nervous about my day. 
Finally, as the hike came near its end, there sat lovely lizard...a reminder from my walk at the lake yesterday (I must have seen 10 lizards from 3 different species along my way yesterday but that is a different story!).  A reminder to listen to my inner voice.  To connect with stillness and to pay attention.  At the very end of the hike, I walked through a thick and tall stand of mustard...you know, those tiny yellow flowers that bloom everywhere in spring.  What was fantastic about this journey through the mustard was that it was vibrating with bees.  The sound of the buzzing was intense and I could feel the vibration of the buzzing all on my skin...I love this...bees are always a great thing as they remind me that anything is possible.  I finished this hike with not only physical conditioning but mental, emotional and spiritual conditioning as well.

All of us can connect with nature in this way.  There is a Sioux word, Mitakuye oyasin which means "with all things we are related".  This is what the hike felt like today.  If I, or anyone, goes into an adventure in nature with open eyes and an understanding that nature relates to us in many ways...then I, or anyone else, can benefit from the gifts of nature.  Mine, today, came from beautiful and joyful hummingbird.
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