Upon recollection of my childhood the most cherished memories were the many times I explored the environment surrounding my house and the yard where I grew up.  The desire to see, to hear, to touch one’s surroundings first hand, to know one’s own country is natural.  Whenever I visit my hometown, the neighborhood where in grew up in North Carolina, the memories flood back.  Would I live it all over again, if I could?  Yes.

Having moved from Mundelein in Lake County, to Batavia in Kane County just a few weeks ago, nearly all of my days have been filled with the duties, and the decision making of unpacking.  Working to make the dwelling which we purchased suitable as a home for the foreseeable future has challenged me to begin to learn new skills.  Knowing enough to diagnose a problem is a step forward, even if you do not yet have the insight necessary for a proper remedy.  I am happy to call a professional and pay them well in that case.

Yesterday I allowed myself a time out, and explored a park alongside the Fox River.  Having driven past the driveway entrance to the park many times, the kid-in-me said, “let’s go have a look.”

These are some of the things that I saw, in my  walk about along the park pathway.  I paused for a few minutes contemplating the mighty flow of the Fox River which is at a high water mark, flood stage due to the heavy rains over the past few days.  The force of the current and the great amount of water that moved before my feet,  visible to the opposite shore reminded me of how durable and relentless Nature is.  Nature cannot be eliminated.  We may work around it, even harness Nature with enough study and care, but it will always confront us. 

As I walked the pathway north alongside the river I noted the deep green of the plants around me, the fading wild flower blossoms.  There’s no hint of frost yet, but the plants show that they have reached the end of their productive season, and the die off has begun.  The thought occurred to me that societies and especially empires have their appointed season, a trajectory of birth, growth, and final decay.  I cannot think of anything living that does not have a life cycle.

This park contains the Fabyan Estate, and a Japanese garden, which I enjoyed from a distance.  The overcast day seemed just the right light to appreciate the grove of venerable, old oak trees which to my mind, symbolize the vastness of time.  There was a time before my existence,  a time  before my country, and of my people in this place.

The sculpted beauty of the Japanese Garden reminded me of how important is the role of humanity in Nature.  We are “of Nature.”  The thought that Nature is our mother seems a balanced, sane idea to me.  The landscaping, and combination of trees, smaller plants, streams, the tea ceremony building in the Japanese garden struck me as a sacred space, a space that is felt as well as observed.  We only feel that we belong to a place, when we can begin to love it, and care for it.

I had company for a portion of my walk.  A squirrel and I contemplated each other for a few moments.  I thought to myself, “if only the squirrel could speak.”  Perhaps the squirrel thought in those same moments regarding my species,  — “if only they would shut up.”