Old and New Friends

Have you ever suddenly realized you have changed only after revisiting a place of your past?  I am now in my fifth house since I moved to Copper Harbor in December, 2005.  My second place of residence is right next door to where I live now.  When I lived in cabin # 12 at The Pines Resort, I had my favorite path to walk along Lake Fanny Hooe for solice.  Leisurly, I walked that path again last evening.

I felt much more appreciative of what was around me.  Though I used to basically go out to my favorite sitting spot by the lake with my notebook, last night I paid more attention to what I saw on my way there.  Along the way, I saw a few wildflowers for the first time this year: rose (and I got down on my knees to sniff its romantic fragrance), starflower (which I have so far only admired in the books), buttercup, orange hawkweed, thimbleberry (which looks ready to burst forth!) and cream peavine (which is toxic, but has a sweet fragrance).

So not only did I get to meet some old friends and make new ones, I revisited myself.  Pardon me for getting a little personal, but I caught a glimpse of how I was when I first moved up here.

I remember not feeling like I had the time to talk to people at the post office, on the street, in the General Store, etc.  I always thougth, How do these people have the time to stand around and talk all the time?  I have to get things done!  You know what?  As far as time in a day is concerned, I have less now than I did then, but that internal “rushing” feeling has faded.  Life is unsatisfying when I feel that I always have to hurry to my next chore.  I have learned to take the time to smell the flowers and talk to my friends.

Ah, I absolutely love living here.  I relish in the moments I take to remember why.

I have also seen some other flowers and plants lately.  Some I had to look up in my handy dandy guides, but some I remembered from last year.  I feel proud when I can identify a plant without having to reference it.  I’m learning!

Some of the plants that are flowering lately are the wintercress, bunchberry, heartleaf arnica, gaywings, forget-me-not, choke cherry and sarsasparilla.  The ferns are also unfurled, so the paths through the woods are green to the edges.  I was wondering how all that brown was going to go away. 

This land never ceases to amaze me.