Forest Stories Episode One Hundred Twenty Four This Forest Has Risen

0:00Hey, when it comes to podcasts, listening, are you like me? I mean, it's like television surfing. You're like all over the place looking for that one thing that you can add to your moment of now. Be it four stories, be it rock star stories, talking with a chef, whatever you're looking for, that's what arrow.net is all about ARROE.net. The searching is over. It's all in one place. Enjoy the exploration. Hey, thanks for being a part of the conversation. Welcome to four stories, a series of short, winded adventures within a collection of skyscraping trees stuck feet first in Georgia clay right here in Carolina. It's been a huge part of my daily journey for over 33 years. I am the poet in the forest, a children's series written and recorded in the 1990s. It's grown into multiple podcasts that now reach around the world and none of it would be possible without this forest right here in South Charlotte, North Carolina. At the base of heartbreak hills, it's a sign that reads rainbow forest. Well, it's time you get to meet what's inspired several generations long

1:00before the paved paths decorated with colorful homes colonized around this beautiful lake, slow moving stream flatland swamps and array of natural animals. There were families and business owners who are said to have raised into this area for the beauty of the land, wild roses, migratory birds and wild grapevines. Those before me either forgot to write about it or it's buried somewhere inside their family tree. Hey, thanks for being a part of the conversation. Welcome back to the forest. Easter Sunday. Oh, so many Easter's celebrated inside this beautiful forest in South Charlotte. The greatest thing about this is that I love it when we get a spring rain on Easter Sunday. And Jazzy and I still take the walk, the transition walk through all of these trees, all of these amazing birds that feel like they've been hiding for several months because of winter.

2:01But on Easter, they come out to play. And when it's raining like this, what are they doing? They're taking a bath. Humans take baths, right? Dogs take baths. Why can't all these birds take a bath and then stand on the limbs of these gorgeous trees and say, look at me, look at me, look at me. It's a very spiritual walk on a day like this such as Easter day because your imagination is already thinking about the bunny that you grew up with, the eggs that you hunted down and everything else. But do you ever take the time to look around you on Easter and see how the entire kingdom of living things celebrate such a day? No, no, you got to really pay attention to something like this. And this forest is definitely very evident of that. I'm not trying to get all holy and everything on you. What I'm trying to share with you is that as you make your way through your own forest, through your own parks, wherever you go to take a transition walk or just to be alone with nature, pay closer attention to everything

3:01around you and get the attention off you. So many people say, well, I've got to go to a forest because I need to learn how to relax or I got to go to a forest because I just want to be able to be with people that understand what it's like to go camping or to be able to hit the trails and go hiking. It's not about that because if you truly are going to hit nature, especially on Easter and you're going to say, Hey, look, I got to have something because tomorrow's a brand new day and I need to rejuvenate my soul. Once again, I'm not trying to get holy. I'm just saying if you would just take more time, taking time to just listen because the birds are bringing a song that you've been shoving aside for the longest time, it's like a radio station, one that you tune in for a moment. They might play your favorite song and you're forgiving in the very beginning. But then you give up when they jump into the next song in a forest, in a park. No, sit through the songs.

4:03You don't want to hear because if you're truly trying to relax or you're truly trying to be creative, then that's what you do. You open up your heart and you allow that to become your story. So it's a very special day, Easter Sunday, inside this gorgeous forest. Not to be religious, I'm not. I'm just saying the other living things, they're trying to speak to you. But if you made the choice to listen, Hey, thanks for being a part of a conversation.