Wide Open Spaces

We sat side by side on the old wooden bridge, my little one and me.  Long days of allergies had turned  Mr. Happy Boy into Mr. Grumpy Pants. Breathing in fresh morning air and gazing across the creek to rolling hills created a balance in my perspective.

"It makes me feel taller," he said quietly.

Something in us doesn't love a wall.  Wide open spaces beckon us, make us feel bigger on the inside. We feel liberated, free to explore.  Our creativity is fueled and our hearts open up to new possibilities and dreams. We feel lively, bold, generous, contented. The quiet chases away the noise and the fray leaving us comforted and soothed.

Our lives need quiet outdoor time to soak in truths, to collect thoughts.  Walking in the quiet produces fruitful understanding that does not blossom in the typical routines of life maintenance and work.  It takes away the issues of money and the fights for our rights.

Without the quiet even young children and babies become confused and irritable. There is something so delicious about walking in the fresh air and sunshine, sitting quietly before the grandness of open spaces.

Capture the depths of joy found in widened horizons.  Don't lose it.  Don't merely look at it and turn away. Let it call you toward a better you, a you that has embraced the wide open world.  When you return home you will be eager to take that fresh view inside. You'll be motivated to clear away the clutter that drains your energy. You can get rid of the messes that destroy the simple gift of calm that is available to everyone.

God must be a cowboy at heart.

He made wide open spaces from the start.

He made grass and trees and mountains

And a horse to be a friend...

And trails to lead old cowboys home again.

          ~Dan Seals