forest stream

I'm on a forest path in New Zealand, and I've just popped out of the trees into a clearing by a stream. This forest stream is quite wide and it creates an opening above, an opening to the sky. And coming out into this light is quite a surprise to me. I had not realised how dark it was in the woods – the trees cutting out the light. And as I had been walking for quite a few hours, in the forest, I had not realised that the morning mist and heavy overcast sky had also lightened, and now a hazy sun is almost visible through the remaining cloud.

It is beautiful to suddenly come upon this light, this airy space. It feels so alive, with the running water, the sound of insects and green all around. And this little surprise has reminded me that, quite often in life, we are living in the dark without really realising it. We may not know that we are ignorant, or that we are completely missing some important thing. And then perhaps, if we are lucky in some fortunate moment, we come into the light. We see what we've been missing. We become aware about things that we were previously ignorant of, or unconsciously avoiding. And these are beautiful moments in life: moments of liberation, moments of growth. And this is a little bit how it felt to me, in this moment, as I stepped into the clearing and felt the light.

I give thanks to this forest stream and the opening to the sky that it has created.