Recording with song and special guest 😉 included.
March 10, 2023
If I had to pick one geographical site for Wonderworld, it would be in the mountains of Tennessee in the South Cumberland State Park. The Fiery Gizzard Trail and the Grundy Forest trail are beyond magical. There’s no way to capture it on film or in words; I wish I could just transport you there. But here’s a glimpse.
On the last weekend in February, I hiked with two dear longtime Nashville friends and my Sherpa, Ruby, on the day loop in Grundy Forest. It starts out easy, mostly flat, and then it gradually slopes down the mountain into a valley beside waterfalls and rushing streams. The wonderworld at the bottom takes your breath away.
I walked the trail with tears because it was so beautiful and I was so glad to be there.
I needed it so desperately.
When you drop down into the deeper forest, with its tall old hemlock trees towering above you and the fluorescent green moss on the ground and tree trunks beside you, the mist from the water splashing down and the pristine clean air bathes you with some kind of fountain of youth. My skin looked fresh and I felt hydrated through and through, deep into my lungs. Two hours of absorbing the pure mountain air, and I was breathing easier.
The Forest Bathing idea, coined in Japan in the 1980’s and called Shinrin Yoku, recognizes the physiological benefit of walking or hiking on forested trails. As it turns out, the trees actually emit powerful medicinal substances. I love learning about this. The substances are called phytoncides (wood essential oils.) Antimicrobial organic compounds such as α-pinene and limonene, derived from the trees.
One of many studies of the effects of forest bathing showed this:
“Phytoncides have antibacterial and antifungal qualities. A forest bathing trip significantly increased the score for vigor and decreased the scores for anxiety, depression, and anger. Habitual forest bathing may help to decrease the risk of psychosocial stress-related diseases.”*
I find this to be exactly my experience, and I think I will be spreading this good news for a lifetime. Forest Bathing regularly saves me.
Still recovering from illness, I truly thought I would be unable to hike for more than half an hour on the mountain trails, but au contraire!—as we hiked up the stone steps at the end of the trail, I actually wanted to go further!
Ruby hiked like a champ the whole way and led me on the narrow mountainside trails where thick tree roots braided across the path, turning into a bit of an obstacle course. She guided me confidently, gently pulling me along, stabilizing me and making the journey so much more fun. And my friends, Mark and Karen, even stopped with me and took in the beauty on my many pauses for photos and video. Not everyone would be so patient!
Carving Out a Wonderworld
A gerbil wheel is a dangerous thing for a homosapien to get stuck on. Without a restorative break from life’s routine tasks and labors, we humans go nuts. We get depressed. We get burnt out and sick. And we become very stale people, because as you know, all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.
This human has been working hard without a refreshing break and my battery has badly needed a recharge. Though I am at a good place in life in so many ways and feel so glad to be “home” with my beautiful mom after decades living in Nashville, and though I honestly feel more stable on a deep level, with better mental health and a supportive work and life environment, I still have to work really hard to keep connected to a community of my own beyond mom’s senior living community. I am truly crazy about mom’s neighbors and have become besties with many, but that’s mom’s world.
The idea of “carving out a life of your own” has helped me thrive when I’m waning. There are so many joys available to us. Life is often so incredibly difficult. Managing a family, a household, a job or a business requires constant arduous effort. Add to that the time and focus it takes just to keep yourself alive and well, and it seems a break is near impossible.
Keeping your soul inspired and connected requires an entirely different energy.
The carving part is a very active endeavor.
It is how we discover who we are, what we love, and what makes us happy. But it begins simply, by paying attention to our emotional responses to our life experiences. It starts by connecting with our feelings and our memories. “Oh wow—I felt SO GOOD while being in that valley, on the forested trail by the rushing streams!”
Carving starts with thinking and imagination.
When I recognize the activities where I feel deeply affected, enlivened and joyful, I need to take note and remember them! Literally, writing it down. I post mine on the wall so when I’m feeling down, I remember what can keep me from a depression spiral.
A dear friend of mine suggested once that I pick up a stone from the ground when I’m in a transformational moment in life. Down in that lush valley, I picked up a cone from one of the tall trees to take with me as a reminder of what lifted my spirit and body.
When I’m on that gerbil wheel and I begin spinning and stumbling, when I’m getting tossed out of control in my mind and patterns, I have a touchstone that puts me in touch with a good memory. I have something tangible to grab when I need to be pulled off of the cycle of overwhelm. When I’m in the dark and can’t find my way, I’ll pick it up and be reminded of what I love. I’ll remember who I am. And I can start planning again.
A palpable experience, holding the touchstone, can serve as a prompt to start the process of carving out new happiness for myself. It is also a key of sorts. When I hold it, it starts the ignition in my brain.
The touchstone becomes a carving tool when I actually shift into drive. Even in the lowest gear, I can take one teeny step toward doing the things I love again.
This trip to the South came to be in this way. In the darkness of winter through the pressure constraints of loneliness and ceaseless work, I awoke one morning asking myself, “What do I really love?” In the tension of it all, stones and cones popped out. I remembered three experiences I love.
I needed a vacation to restore myself. Not just a trip to explore a new location, but a soul-freeing holiday. It needed to include these things: hikes on forested mountain trails, musical experiences with other musicians, and meaningful time with old friends.
I took a teeny step. I started carving. I googled “Fiery Gizzard Trail images.”
That teeny step fueled me. I had energy to put my foot on the gas a bit more. A moving car is much easier to drive.
I sent a text to my brother asking if he had some time in late February to give me a break and come visit mom. Thankfully, he could.
Okay. So by now, I was actually starting to move. A little burst of hope gave me a little burst of confidence.
To carve out the next step, I really had to push myself: I messaged my longtime friends in Nashville saying I would love to see them and would they have any interest in getting together? And that I’d love to hike with them, which is what we did together 30 years ago.
What seemed miraculous to this hermit began to unfold. Step by step, I carved out time for myself and a vacation for myself which included three things I love most.
I have friends who are so good at this. I learn from them and see how vibrant they are. I notice how they have initiated trips with their friends. These trips—even a weekend trip down the road to walk on trails—strengthen their friendships. I notice their happiness level. And I want more of that in my life.
Many of you are like me in that these efforts are very hard to make. You’re introverted and spend so much time at home writing, reading, researching, staying in the cozy comfort zone. You’re afraid, like me, that people won’t want to spend that much time with you. That they’ll not say “yes, let’s find a way to do it,” and you’ll feel more depressed than you did before you started carving. And that has happened to me.
And I felt the sadness. And that’s okay.
But I realize that if I don’t carve a life out for myself, depression will get the best of me. If I don’t carve out experiences where I can do the things I love most, I will feel powerless and unhappy. And that is miserable.
Carving out something beautiful. I did that!
In doing that, I created Wonderworld experiences for other people and animals. Wow. We can do that.
I got to feel the southern redbuds as they were opening. I got to stay with a beautiful friend and her family. I got to sit under the stars with their doggos and my doghter. I was able to give Ruby critical time with her fur pals. I hugged a stalwart old hemlock. I took Ruby to church. 😁 I took my dulcimers out to a luthier who actually knows how to repair and tune them up, and hung out with him and his badass wife. (Blomguitars.com) I visited with Texas longhorns. And I watched my angel dog bring therapeutic healing to my friend who just said goodbye to her doghter.
If I can carve out wonderful experiences, you can too.
Start carving out something beautiful today.
I wish you fresh eyes to see that Wonderworld is around you. Don’t miss it!
With lots of love,
Linda and Ruby
P. S. And of course, what would be more fitting for this post than this song, simple as it may be:
Right up my alley, love this especially now knowing of the extra benefits I receive as I walk my woods daily.
Thank you Linda