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the day after i wrote about yesterday’s stunning grapevine knot we went back to our trail. it was a gorgeous day – the nicest day we have had in months – the sun warm on our backs as we hiked, a no-jacket day, a hiking-sandals day.

the peepers were out for the first time and the first butterfly we’ve seen flitted in our path, circling us, teasing for a photo shoot. it was exquisite to be out there.

except for the smoke.

for this was a burn day. and they were out there, burning the invasive underbrush in the woods, with smoke filling the air on the west side of the forest and nature preserve. the ecologists manage the natural communities, sorting to balance and eradicate that which seeks to take over the rest.

though the smoke can be disturbing, the point of the burn is well-taken and we respect their dedicated efforts to give this land the freedom to transition into spring – and next – without its life being suffocated by invasive species. we know that the future of this preserve is dependent upon this care – these checks and balances – and we are grateful for this diligence so that we might continue hiking along this beautiful river and in its forests.

though – once again – the metaphor that aligns with the current government and state of affairs in this country – the metaphor of parallel eradication of that-which-is-invasive here and now just begs for attention, i am trusting you are drawing the parallel and there is no reason for me to rant on and on about that.

and so, instead, i will go personal and introspective because even though i was struck by the timing of the burn in light of my checks-and-balances rant yesterday, i was even more struck by the timing of the burn from the inside out.

there are times we all need to uncoil the knot that has wound into our souls somewhere and tend to its throwingout. in watershed moments, we ferret out stuff that no longer needs to have residence in our bodies, no longer needs to cause pain or distress, no longer needs to keep us awake at night. this is never easy. and never really finished.

the burning underbrush was raw for me. at a time that i am deliberately choosing fire over silence i recognize that there is a shift happening and that i will never return to the previous state – some of that is becoming ash. just like i can mark – with absolute certainty – the before and after of my life very, very long ago – so can i mark the before and after of this burning fire.

i was struck by the beautiful spiral of layered leaves as they smoldered, the bits of spark in the logs trailside, leaves and ash co-habitating. i was indeed stunned by how clearly distinct the line of demarcation between burning and not-burning, how the mitigation biologists controlled this fire.

the health risk of this ecosystem is being tended.

just like i am tending mine.

*****

https://youtu.be/UovCcVMLBRA?si=T2C3AcOuJjZYbSzZ

read DAVID’s thoughts this K.S. FRIDAY

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