If
you live in an area of the Northern Hemisphere that has four seasons,
fall is fast coming. The turning of the leaves brings on the fall
harvest, and is a great time to put away delicious food for the
winter.
The
little squirrel that lives in my backyard is also busy putting away
his winter meals. I have named the squirrel Nick. He lives
somewhere in the yard to the north of me. His main daily activity now
is running across the telephone wire that goes across my backyard,
and then he climbs the tall pine tree to gather his pinecones.
I
have said that if I ran as much as he does going back and forth to
gather his winter meals, I would be thin.
A
few nights ago I decided to go on a bike ride along Wasatch Boulevard
that overlooks the Salt Lake Valley on the west and has mountains
that go from 5,000 feet on the east to 11,000 feet. It was the most
beautiful evening. Nature was at its peak.
As
I looked to the west, I could see the orange sky hovering over the
Great Salt Lake. To the east I could see the mountains dotted with
every color of fall leaves. It was breathtaking.
I
came upon a hill that was too steep for me to ride up, so I got off
my bike and began to walk up past a vacant lot. All of a sudden I
noticed a deer in the clearing, only about thirty feet from me. I
stood perfectly still. I love seeing wildlife in my neighborhood.
There
was road noise to the west. The deer would go about eating the
grass, but if I lifted my foot to take a step the deer would
immediately lift her head to check me out. Then I would be dead
still for a couple more minutes and she would go back to eating.
It
was amazing that every time I lifted my foot, she could detect that
and lifted her head. How could she hear me lift my foot over all the
noise that came from the road? I slowly and quietly walked pass her
as she watched every step I took, ready to react if she sensed
danger. I look back with amazement at such a beautiful animal.
My
evening in the fall splendor took a couple of hours. By the time I
got home I was renewed and excited to have had such a wonderful
evening in nature. Sometimes I wonder why I don’t go out more
often to experience the wonders that are right around us.
I
have resolved to take time out each week to go and enjoy the beauties
of the incredible world that we live in. Often it is right at our
doorstep waiting for us to take time for it to renew our spirits and
soul.
Dian
Thomas has spent her life writing books and being in the media
demonstrating her creative ideas. Now she is a tour leader, leading
adventure trips to such fun places as South Africa, Peru, China, and
Europe.
Dian’s
books are on special at www.dianthomas.com.
She is also a professional speaker and shares her creative ideas with
audiences throughout the USA and Canada.
Dian Thomas was blessed with the good fortune to be born near and raised in
the remote, breathtaking Manti-La Sal National Forest in southeastern Utah,
where her father was the forest ranger. She took the skills she learned in the
outdoors and turned them into a New York Times best-selling book, Roughing It
Easy. Her appearance on the NBC's "Tonight" show with Johnny Carson
boosted her into the national media scene, where she became a regular on
NBC's "Today" show for eight years and then ABC's "Home Show" for six years.
After more than 25 years of media exposure and 19 books, she now shares her
practical insights and wisdom with audiences who want to savor life.
A former Relief Society president, Dian is currently serving as a visiting
teacher. Visit her website at www.DianThomas.com