Squabble Creek – Today I took Ranger to Squabble Creek in Rockwall, my brother has been bugging me for a while to go so I finally went. The visit was more amazing and necessary for me then I had expected.

Nature has always been my source of rejuvenation, but the older one gets, the intricacies of joy seem less tangible.

As the dog gathered all the smells and tastes of every tuft of grass and broken stick, I went to my happy place. I remembered the child in me, who would rush to the stream looking for fossils often forgetting to roll up his pant leg.

The enjoyment of searching for crawfish and frogs or the occasional turtle, listening to the sounds of the birds all around me; it was truly a spiritual walk.

I listened to the creek, multiple waterfalls rushing from the bank and over ancient limestone into a clear swirl of yellows, greens and browns-I remembered why I started painting water in the first place.

I thought of the waterfalls I used to create in terrariums and the frogs that brought joy to my two young boys who watched the green treefrogs rise while I was putting them to bed.

It is so simple and yet profound, nature is in our DNA-its sound and stories make us human, creates our childhood or simply instills peace when the world gets too stressful.

I consider the hawk landing on the tree in front of me my guide and the many birds like counselors, no truths spoken only that sound of the melodic trill that keeps me grounded and finds the child in me who’s grown weary of the path.

See a similar post about finding nature close to home