Soul Walk

Come for a walk on the farm with me today, friends. It’s time for real talk. How do you calm your soul when you are anxious and the demands of life are too much?   

A few things work for me like writing, knitting, or going for a drive, but my favorite is a soul walk. What in the world is it? When anxiety gets the best of me and I really need to clear my head, a walk around the farm with camera in hand is just what I need. I call it a soul walk.  

I’ve never lived in a suburban area, so I’m not sure what the equivalent is, maybe a walk in the park, a drive out to the countryside?   

I need to connect to nature; see the sunshine, feel the breeze, pick some flowers, observe life. Disconnecting from TV, phone, internet, and go out and just be. Somehow along the way, my anxiety subsides and my soul finds the peace I need.   

What do you do to find your peace?  

Oh, give me the country! where grass is green;
Where the roses bloom with satiny sheen;     
Where the modest violet lifts up its head,     
As on it the warmth of the sun is shed:
Give me the country! where all is serene;     
Where the air is pure and fragrant and clean,     
And noise of the city is far away;     
Where gaiety thrives through each night and day.
God made the country, so lovely and fair!,     
Its wide open spaces for all to share;     
Where joy and contentment each one may find     
If he, earnestly, seeks for peace of mind.
~Gertrude Tooley Buckingham, “Give Me The Country!” (1940s)

Believe it or not, all of these photos were taken on the same day, a few hours apart! The overcast skies of noon gave way to a beautiful blue sky with puffy clouds just a few hours later.