Well, I am going to be honest with you about my almost forgetting what day it is.  It’s October 1st, which means today is the day of Armageddon… err, no, not really.  (Just because the government is shut down, it does not mean you stop living your life.)  it’s the first day of the 31-day challenge that was proposed in a previous post of mine.  So, it goes to show you that screwing up can happen at every moment.

There really isn’t that much to write about.  There are a few things actually on my mind.  It can be the same redundant information or opinions spewed out any other time in the past and by others, and it can the same nonsense that can be expected in the future and vomited out by others.  Scratch the not, because it is.

Today, I took a walk around Baltimore Woods in Marcellus, New York.  Whenever the need to look deeper into myself or into the universe, my feet venture into nature and my mind clears completely.  It’s tough, since it can be easily realized and accepted that a mind runs and runs and runs, and calming the thought process down can take longer than expected.  It’s sickening.  Minds should not be clouded like this, you know, the same cloudiness that infiltrates the Syracuse sky or the foggy atmosphere of London or the smog over Beijing.  Overcast is overcast.

It’s amazing how much noise a falling leaf can make.  Amongst serenity of a woods, it can stir up a lot of noise as it falls through the foliage, scraping against other leaves and branches.  Not sure if it is me, but it was easy to relax; my breathing slows as it’s focused upon, my shoulders relax, my eyelids shut and the thoughts stop.  Chipmunks and squirrels scurry through the brush and fallen leaves.  The wind blows and the trees react.

It was explained to me years ago–this is a segue–that Henry David Thoreau, while spending time in Walden, often stayed at a friend’s house nearby.  As a reader, I found this a tad bit disappointing.

My thoughts travel back into time from the present, this age.  It’s an age of technology, and we are dependent on all of it.  Electricity, lighting specifically, is taken for granted.  Power, when it goes out, we forget how we freak out, and this is especially true if we have electric appliances.  Technology now ruins our relationships… oops, I mean runs.  I didn’t mean to put the i in there.  Wait… the first does make sense.  Our web browsers now have tabs so we can access more websites easily.  HootSuite fuels our technological ADHD by presenting us (or reiterating the redundancy) of having those social media outlets in front of us all at once and in tabs.  Essentially, you have tabs within your tabs.  At least the browser tabs were the original and do keep things separately.

Keep in mind, the latter part of the comments is more tongue-in-cheek.  I do find HootSuite easy to use and convenient, but it simply displays tabs within tabs.

Now, airplanes and those who run them are trying to make cell phones and electronic devices more accessible during taking off and landing.  Frankly, it is a short amount of time.  If you are that dependent on your electronic device, you may as well be having sex with a power outlet.  (That comment may be the wine talking.)  However, flying is so enjoyable to me, and the prevention of electronic devices from messing with the landing gear is fine with me and others for that matter.

My thought process brought me back to the time of exploration, settlement, and the natives of our land.  They lived.  They appreciated the art of hunting and agriculture.  This was living off the land, and respecting the land.  Their only worries were with determining where to settle, food supply, surviving the elements and disease, and others living in the same area.

Staring into the trees, it was easy to realize and accept that this was how quiet life once was.  I’m not hating life, because everything is going well.  I’m positive, and Lou (the cat) listens to my troubles.

I will leave you with some scenic shots from my time spent in Baltimore Woods.  To be there, in the heart of nature, is breathtaking, and that–to experience and take in nature–may be a huge shock to some (as sadly as that is).