I took Brandford Rail Trail (Hamilton, ON, Canada) almost every time I need to make a shopping trip to the nearest dollar store since last winter. As wither trees and crisp trunks of the scenery had become a familiar image, so when the lush scenery invaded my vision, I felt like being transported in a different world. The pale landscape has resurrected into a whole new living world!
I always love to walk under the greenish dense canopy with trees and bushes grow luxuriously from both sides. Only in Canada, I can again experience the relaxing feeling of immersing myself in nature. Walking in a dark green tunnel to the brighter area ahead felt like I am walking from the dark shade of sap green to the bright shade of the yellowish-green on my water-colour’s swatch panel. And the light at the end of the tunnel always makes its viewer feel like they’re walking to a brighter future.
I took a side trail into a deeper area of the woods, where I always wondered about for the whole winter but never steeled myself up enough to derail from the main safe path. Walking carefully down the slightly steep flowery dwindling path, I found a rivulet where water gently flows from the Northern source at the end of it. Along one side of that lovely stream, a small bed of purple flowers embraced a big tree. I stood under the trees’ thick branches, looked up to catch the simmering light peppers among the leaves’ gaps. The intense contrast between the deep green shade and the whiteness of the sky above created a soft gradient of yellowish sap green around each space as if million tiny diamonds embed among the leaves. At enchanted moments like this, letting nature floods out all of my worries and inject in only the positivity of freshness, I would never doubt the power of healing from a beautiful environment. I stood roughly 10 minutes there, head tilted up slightly with eyes closed, let the sound of gently running water and rustling leaves soothe my troubling soul. My world seemed never to be more peaceful than this!
The next destination is a beautiful glade, led there by a hidden track that I had not ever noticed before. I must say I was surprised with how brave I could be yesterday—ventured out into any hidden sidetrack. The track led me further into an uncharted area deep in the woods, where I was caught surprised by how beautiful the scene could be. Wonder if because my mind is at peace or by the serenity of nature itself, even the light here was different. The way afternoon golden sunlight stroke the leaves above my head created a scenery of green with different intensities! Felt like I stepped into an exquisite landscape painting of god. It was scary to be the only human deep inside a wood, but nature always has its own way to subdue that fear. The tranquillity of the rustling sounds when a squirrel jumps on the bed of dry leaves, the smell of moist dirt, the freshness of the unpolluted air invaded my lungs with a new load of oxygen, the soft wind’s sighs, and vision full of green and soft yellow colours. Encouraged by the beauty of nature, I followed the track further inside and discovered a stretching bed of purple flowers; this time, not from afar but from both sides of this small track. I felt like being enfolded by flowers—a perfect spot for a doll photoshoot. One one side of the track, my view was filled with a beautiful vale afar. However, I must admit that the area is treacherous gem as my nerve could not be at ease being alone there. I ended my adventure when the flowery track became too steep, not safe to process further unless I had better hiking gears.
Sometimes, stepping out of my comfort zone brings in unexpected rewards. Fear the unknown is human instinct. We fear when our sense of security is threatened. I am a coward. I fear so many things and tend to run away when facing challenges. Such a silly habit because retreating before trying to overcome it will not solve the issue! By taking small steps out of my known, I train myself to be braver a little every day; so that my life could be a beautiful lucid dream instead of a never-ending nightmare.
In the end, the scariest thing is what I imagine!
Lucid Realms 