30 Days of Gratitude: The Rolling Fields (Day 17)

I miss my days living in the country so much. I know I've written about those times here on Certainly Candid before, but never fully in-depth. Today's post in the 30 Days of Gratitude series focuses on nature: what I love, and why I miss it.

The Rolling Fields (Day 17)

While I was skeptical about moving to a tiny rural community right after college, I savored the opportunity to get back in touch with my outdoorsy side. I loved going for drives in the countryside up and down the hills in the valley. I loved seeing the wheat fields in all their glory again after years of living in town after my family moved away from the country.

I am grateful for the rolling fields. I love the serenity of nature, and in my state where the prairie always meets the sky, I love seeing the rippling wheat fields. Around harvest, they glimmer like golden oceans with gentle waves in the wind.

I am grateful for the years I grew up in the country. For the snowmobiling, the tree climbing, the slippery sliding down shallow icy ponds. I am grateful for the towering oaks, the willows in the yard, the lone coyote calls at night, the silent deer in the rhubarb patch, the wild raspberry bushes around the yard, the rides to the pasture with my grandpa. I am grateful for the beating wings of hawks free in the sky, for the silent world after the first snow, for the glistening light of the moon.

In the end, I am grateful for the time in the outdoors. It allows me to dream of the day where I will live in the country once again. Where I can have an ATV, and do bow target practice in the backyard, and set up a hammock in the trees.

Find the joy in nature.