A Pause for Beauty:
An artist’s journal.
A Quiet Relationship With Nature
. . . the purity of the wildflower and the unspoiled countryside so often puts to shame the high culture of town and court. There is a wild and untamable beauty in man when he is in harmony with nature.
- Bernard Leach, The Unknown Craftsman: A Japanese Insight Into Beauty
Loon Lake Sunset
In the south, the red mountains fall away and yellow mountains rise up, full of silver and turquoise rock. There are plenty of rabbits here, a little rain in the middle of the summer, fine clouds tethered on the highest peaks. If you are out in the middle of the desert, this is the way you always end up facing.
In the south, twelve buckskin horses are living along the edge of the yellow mountains. The creeks here are weak; the horses have to go off somewhere for water, but they always come back. There is a little grass, but the horses do not seem to eat it. They seem to be waiting, or finished. Ten miles away you can hear the clack of their hooves against the rocks. In the afternoon, they are motionless, with their heads staring down at the ground, at the little stones.
At night they go into the canyons to sleep standing up.
From the middle of the desert, even on a dark night, you can look out at the mountains and perceive the differences in direction. From the middle of the desert, you can see everything well, even in the black dark of a new moon. You know where everything is coming from.
- Barry Lopez, from Desert Notes
For a further exploration of how a close relationship with wild nature can contribute peace and serenity to our lives, here’s the latest chapter, in first draft form, of my upcoming book, “45 Insights Into Living Life On Your Own Terms.” This chapter is entitled:
Nurture a quiet relationship with nature.
Nurture a quiet relationship with beauty.