These are not the pine forests of Colorado. The trails in North Carolina are a crazy cross-hatch of roots and shadows. Rhododendron explosion and cedar. Kudzu. “This is a Hansel and Gretel forest,” Kerri whispers.
“Luckily for us,” I reply, “we are too old to taste good. No witch would have us.” She punches my arm. I laugh, but not too loud.
This forest is different than our ideal. That is why we come here. It opens us. It challenges our “should-be.” New experiences and unknown places dissolve expectations and elevate awareness of “what is.” It shakes the stone fortress of imagined security. Each step is alive and unexpected.
Renewal. It’s a special branch of the slow-moving-river called curiosity.
After many miles we arrive back at the car. We emerge from the Grimm Brother’s forest and step onto the comfort of paved parking lot. Exhausted, we are thrilled with our hike. The forest sprites retreat back into the dark recesses of our minds while the new shapes and smells and colors and sounds energize our spirits.
“We did it!” She is elated. Then, “Do you think that crashing sound was a bear?” she asks.
“Could be,” I lie, certain that we were followed – and rejected – by a hungry Ogre. Too boney. There are, after all, certain benefits to aging.
read Kerri’s blogpost about ROOTS AND SHADOWS
Filed under: Random, Two Artists Tuesday | Tagged: artistry, Brother's Grimm, curiosity, dark forest, david robinson, davidrobinsoncreative.com, expectations, fairy tales, folk tales, Hansel and Gretel, hiking, imagination, Kerri Sherwood, kerri sherwood itunes, kerrianddavid.com, kerrisherwood.com, renewal, roots, shadows, should be, spirits, sprites, story, studio melange, the melange, unknown |
The Direction of Intention 
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