As the result of having started a new job this year, I have been able to do a lot of traveling lately. If you are unfortunate enough to follow me on Instagram, you'll have seen all of my recent outdoor escapades in an unending stream of consciousness that would rival Ulysses. At first, I was immeasurably excited to be seeing "all these different places". I still am, but a bit of reflection altered my perspective slightly and maybe - just maybe - by the end of this you might see what I mean. I was scrolling through the photographs of all the places I've been, and in the maze of woodland and idyllic scenery, I found myself double checking the locations of where each of them were from. Until I realised that I was finding it so difficult because all of the photos were, essentially, of the same place: Earth. A bit of of a cliché? Cheesy even? Yeah maybe (but it's my blog so what are you gonna do about it).
The above pictures were taken hundreds of miles apart, and yet the photos are all of the same thing; a beautiful, idyllic woodland that had caused me to stop and take a moment. And no, I won't tell you where these were taken. Because to do so would undermine the point I'm trying to make. Life can get pretty hectic and we're all guilty of getting swept up in it from time to time. But when I finally slow down enough to appreciate what's right in front of me, lost in the thick of the woods, everything else just kind of melts away and I could be anywhere in the world. There is a familiarity in nature. The smell of damp bark and petrichor remains the same wherever you are. Because, in a way, you're always in the same place; Earth. Birds pay no attention to your countries' borders as they migrate between them. Because they don't really exist (the borders, not the birds). These squiggly lines we drew over our maps mean nothing to the rest of Earth's inhabitants. They know that the trees in Argentina or Britain are all dressings and decorations of the same home.
I used to be afraid of ever finding myself alone. But these days, I am more often by myself than not. And yet, I so rarely feel lonely. Wherever I happen to be, the welcoming embrace of nature will always be a comfort. There might not be many people around, but I feel welcomed into the home of Earth's other residents. When you really take the time to slow down and listen to the sounds of nature, you're no longer just looking at the landscape, you are a part of it . And you can't feel alone when you listen to the sounds of the Earth and it feels like she's listening back. If you're ever missing home then just close your eyes and wait for the rain, and that familiar smell of damp bark and petrichor will come flooding back. Now maybe upon reading this you're thinking "what funny mushrooms must he have eaten in that forest". Or maybe, just maybe, when you plan your next trip, you'll forget the thoughts of prestige and popular locations "everyone must see", and instead you'll just go and visit Earth.
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