The world is in turmoil. Why, I can’t say. Much of the anger and hardship seems to be unnecessary and self induced. Manufactured crisis designed to make cold hard cash for someone….certainly not me.

Old wounds ripped open to manipulate strong emotion. Ancient prejudices exploited for power. It is too much to contemplate. The world feels heavy. In these times, the grief of it sits heavy on my shoulders. People aren’t meant to live like this.

And so, we take comfort in the land. In Ireland, the ancient ruins tell us of endless battles and strife. But the hills speak of something older. God has spread beauty across the land. The landscape is majestic. No matter how many times people created destruction here, there is constant rebirth. Nature heals.

And so, I sit by the sea and watch waves crash against the shore. The sun warms my face and a cool breeze tickles my skin. I watch the hawks circle the endless blue skies. I listen to the birds sing in the fields amidst rustling grain. And I breathe deeply. I am part of the beauty of the earth. My soul is timeless and unaffected by man’s greedy endless scheming for more. This moment is enough.

I walk hillsides in solitude or in happy companionship with family. The endless greens of grass and trees lift my mood. I see a mansion in the distance, but I focus on a fruit tree in a long forgotten garden. It is untended, but still producing beautiful fruit. No longer necessary for modern life, the family will not be drying or canning apples to survive the winter. The tree doesn’t care if its fruit is unwanted in this season. The fruit is beautiful in its own self. It may drop discarded into the weeds to feed only the birds. It is no less beautiful.

So too the fruit of human goodness. The world may not currently value honesty or empathy. Truth and civility may not be in fashion. Moral reasoning, introspection, and education may be out of style. They are no less beautiful.

So I seek the trees. I touch their cool bark and tender leaves. Nature reminds me that simply being true to yourself is enough. Nature heals.