Hawthorn Hill Journal by Richard deRosa

Staying Put Can Be a Marvelous Journey

I have been fortunate enough to have satisfied my birding appetite in some exotic places: Tanzania, Ecuador, the Galapagos, the Amazon, Colombia, Costa Rica and many places in the U.S. Over time, perhaps it is age-related, my zeal for galivanting here and there has waned considerably. Of course, pocketbook constraints come into play as well. But most apparent to me has been a shift in focus, a need for a more holistic relationship with nature. Just birding is not enough. There are too many plants and animals and other natural phenomena to discover, or rediscover, to just hone in on one aspect of it all.

I am more of a walker these days, a hiker when weather permits. If birds cross my path, so be it. If not, the act of walking itself is an extraordinary spiritual balm, as is the lovely thoughtless state of mind that it induces. If on a day’s saunter I neither see nor hear any birds, it is of no matter. There are so many other things to see and sensations to experience. Also, as one of my favorite writers, Scott Russell Sanders, put it some time ago, there is much to gain from staying put.