Trees and leaves call my name. They invite me to live in the present moment. When I am on a walk, I stop to look at the leaves on the sidewalk, in yards, in puddles and still on branches. They sometimes walk alongside me powered by the wind. Other times, they are stuck in mud, revealed underneath snow or hanging on tightly to a chain link fence. I will say to myself, “You don’t need to take another photo of another leaf. You have plenty.” However, this new leaf calls my name so loudly, I cannot stop my hands from taking my phone out of my pocket, my eyes from forming the perfect composition through the camera’s lens, and my finger from pressing the circle on the phone screen to snap the photo.
Nature Connections
I have lived in fear.
It has taken me decades to arrive here in this place where I openly thank trees for being around me and where I can stop to see the messages in each tree and each leaf. Each life experience has given me the opportunity to learn, to create, and to love. I have lived in fear. I have lived in shame. I have lived in loneliness. I have traveled to the other side of the world and back several times. I have resided on the other side of the country and returned to reside in the same house that I lived in during my high school freshman and sophomore years. I have explored the inner landscape of my soul.
After all of these experiences, explorations and enlightenments, I have discovered that my inner peace derives from accepting what is and from connections to this beautiful earth. Nature connections inspire me to be creative not only with my photography but also with my writing. One day, when I needed to be strong and brave for longer than a mere moment in order to hold true to who I am, I wrote this poem:
I Am Wonderful
Today, no one can bend or twist me.
by Angela Jane Dunlap
I am a tall, straight white pine.
My mother planted me in the tiny front yard.
Then, I was just a short, brown stick.
I bent and twisted as I was pushed and pummeled.
She said to me, “You are wonderful.”
Today, no one can bend or twist me.
Today, my branches break with a heavy weight.
Yet, deeply rooted, I am a tall, straight white pine
And my now dead mother still says to me,
“You are wonderful.”
That Which Is
I exhale joy.
There is indeed a tall white pine in my front yard that my mother did plant when she owned my house. I also have a journal in my bathroom titled “All About Me.” My mother was the first to write in it. She wrote, “You are wonderful. Love, Mom.” Thanks, ma mere, for providing as much inspiration for me as does nature.
In nature, I see a waterdrop perfectly formed on a leaf on the sidewalk. I see sunlight reflecting just so through the branches. Each time, the world stops, and I breathe in silence and exhale joy. Nature brings me peace, connects me to all beings, and allows me to see that which is.
Sending you light and joy,
Angela Jane
P.S. Feel free to visit my Leaf Collection for more leaf photos. I did imply that I’m a bit obsessed.