Contrasts in the Woods

What is set before us is contrasts in the woods. In one scene, we have a quiet, peaceful house in the woods, on the edge of a lake. Adorned with porches and nooks to enjoy nature, set on a sloping hill leading down to the lake. Even with little toddler nephew, you can find peace and quiet, because nature surrounds you. It's just as I like it. I want to be in the trees. I want to hear the bird calls echo from one end of the property to some other place in the woods. Leaves falling from the tops of these tall trees flutter down like a beautiful slow-motion cascade to the ground or the porch.

This is where, as often as I could, I would tuck myself away on the lower screened-in porch in to get a few pages of journaling and poetry in, listening to the sounds of the woods that is so calming to me. Every so often a cracking noise of acorns falling on the roof or porch would seem so loud against the quiet of leaves rustling in the frequent breezes. Soon later, little nephew would come down with his daddy. He was good at grabbing the attention - charming, smirking, and being interested in my books in that toddler fashion.

In another scene, on the other end of the spectrum, you have a race track in the woods. Here we have rolling hills and trees galore, but it is not what you would classify as quiet and peaceful. It is quite the opposite. Crowds, cars, and announcers. Here was the world of Le Mans racing with all the spectators enjoying every moment of several days of events as they stay in campers, RVs, and tents scattered all around the track. This is where the loud engines and the scent of race gasoline hover above the curves of the track almost continuously.

While you are in the woods, this is where you go down a hill to garages (behind the pits) of each racing team and see all the drivers autograph photos and posters the day before the race. Down in the garages, we bump into an old BMW club pal, who we have known from various events for probably 15 years, so we chat with him. We walk up the hill in the heat and sunshine. I use an umbrella to shade me pretty much all day. Here is where I am out of my comfortable place, and yet, it is almost a comfort to be a part of what my family loves and enjoys so much. My dad had enjoyed these events immensely. In a strange way, it all seems so normal to me to be there. Both of these scenes, in fact, represent contrasts in the woods that apply to me so naturally. Aren't we all made up of such interesting contrasts?