Let Nature Be Your Teacher

‘Come forth into the light of things. Let nature be your teacher.’  William Wordsworth 

At our house, as nature winds its way from summer toward fall, there is a palpable scuffle of activity going on. The leaves are making their usual transitions, the hawks seem to be hunting their prey more actively, and the bunnies that make the hawk’s meals are darting to and fro with a bit more frenzy. When I go for my morning walks I often see a number of lizards lounging on sun filled rocks. They are gathering heat to take them through the much cooler nights that have arrived as we move toward a new season.

A few days ago I came across a very tiny lizard. It was not on a rock, but instead making its way through our grass.  It looked quite burdened with this task, and with very little effort, I was able to reach down and gently capture it in my cupped hand. After a few minutes of letting our young son inspect it thoroughly, I released it into some nearby rocks.

The universe always fills our days with teachable moments, and I work hard at being an alert student. My encounter with lizard was one of those moments. In Native American lore, lizard is the symbol of dreams.  The year 2014 has been a year where I have succeeded in capturing quite a few dreams that had previously eluded me. Being given the circumstance to gently capture that lizard in my hand felt like a wink from the universe- concurring with me that indeed, I have captured some dreams. The fact that it was a tiny young lizard helps me remember that these dreams are young- and there is still much growing to do. Releasing that lizard back into the world was my way of letting the universe know that I trust that my dreams will be held safe and allowed to grow.

This morning when I was out on my walk, I again saw several lizards taking in the morning sun- watching them is what made me think of William Wordsworth’s  quote- ‘Come forth into the light of things. Let nature be your teacher.’  It is not just the lizards that can come forth into the light of things to gather what warms them- we too can place ourselves in the light and gather what we need to illumine our long journey forward.