You’re never too old to bathe in the forest

Two-thousand seventeen has been a busy year for us, with all the moving around. I relocated to West Virginia for several months to take care of Mom, while my husband worked on assignment in South Carolina. On weekends, we met in the middle to house hunt. Our old place wasn’t practical any more.

In between doctor and hospital visits, we found a new house. Bill moved on to a new job site, and in August, Mom and I and her cats moved into the new house, bought with her in mind. We’ve been learning to live with each other again, and working on settling in, ever since.

Some days we find a lot to laugh about, and on others, we move to our respective “corners,” but we try our best to make things work. Bill was home this week, and after I finished working on an online project, I went outside to try to talk Mom into taking a walk. Bill had beat me to it. I found him escorting her through the woods.

Mom grew up running around in the woods, and she still enjoys it, at a somewhat slower pace.

She had a great time viewing the fall colors, being “back in the woods,” and managed the dips and hills in the uneven ground much better than I thought she would.

Pines mingle with deciduous trees throughout the woods around our house.

I went back to the house to grab her walking stick my brother crafted for her, along with my camera. Some of the trees have lost their fall foliage, but others have just joined the show.

I would name all these trees if I could, but we left Mom’s tree ID book back at her old house. One more thing to add to the list when we make a return visit.

We came in and ate some lunch, then Mom and I went out for another look. She sat and took a rest while I marveled at the color all around us.

I do love the blues and greens of the ocean, but the colors of fall are beautiful, too.

I read this week that the Japanese use a term we loosely translate as “forest bathing” to describe a relaxing time in the woods. I think it’s a great description, as our souls were soaking up the beauty of all those colors today.

Fall is my favorite season, and now that the most of the pollen has blown away, I can enjoy it.

Mom said she has had enough walking for a few days, but the trees are not far from the house. I bet I can talk her into another session of forest bathing over the weekend.