Perseverance

It is National Women's History Month and I am paying homage to a courageous, artistic and talented woman--Louisa May Alcott.  She is the writer of one of my favorite books, "Little Women".  I have stepped foot in her family's house in Concord, MA and it was a delight indeed.  Having seen the lush green foliage in Concord, I see why she so loved a brisk walk in the woods and what it did for her psyche.

I bought a lovely card as a memento from the gift shop with a quote reflecting Louisa's love for 'a run in the woods' that strikes a cord with me as I am awed by the beauty of nature in similar ways.  She details it so rapturously here:

"I had an early run in the woods before the dew was off the grass.  The moss was like velvet, and as I ran under the arches of yellow and red leaves I sang for joy, my heart was so bright and the world so beautiful...A very strange and solemn feeling came over me as I stood there with no sound but the rustle of the pines, no one near me, and the sun so glorious, as for me alone."

I agree whole-heartedly that a walk in the woods can make one feel invigorated, refreshed and maybe even reborn.  A spectacular sunset, a glimmer of sunshine on a beautiful lake--perhaps with billowy white clouds above--makes one wish they could soak up the moment forever.  This may be a bit of a transcendental outlook--and I don't have Thoreau as my neighbor, either.

http://www.louisamayalcott.org/witandwisdom_women.html