A few weeks ago, I was out in the forest walking to a waterfall.
This was at the beginning of the path, Nature's Greeter!
Then the path narrowed and was in shade
a rocky, tree root path, that made me look to the ground
more than straight ahead.
But I did look stop and look up;
And my eyes saw these leaves!
And this spot of fall color!
And this rock wall covered reaching for the sky!
The path meandered around and around.
And it meandered next to the river!
Oh my, the river!
The sound of water flowing over rock,
swishing, burbling and whispering.
The little calm pools with shadows and reflections.
The water and the green of the forest as one.
Then I could hear a roaring sound that
made my feet seem lighter
and the heat not so hot
and my heart skipped at beat as
I turned a bend in the path
and saw this..the waterfall!
Water falling over rock, life moving.
Someone had built a rock cairn near the base
of the waterfall.
Cairns were originally intended as trail markers
to show the way in treeless areas.
I have seen cairns built along trails before;
they were not necessarily markers.
At each location, I had the same feeling.
A cairn is a temple built to commemorate
the journey, give thanks to the Earth
and the joy of being close to Nature.
Other people will notice cairns so it makes
them pause, look and be still.
Be still and just be.
