I went to the winery today. Tasting wine is an enjoyable experience, especially if the winemaker is really good at the trade. I think, although I’m not sure, that the process of tasting wine for me is probably different than for other people. First, I like to smell the wine in the glass, more than once. I swish the wine around in the glass and smell. Then, I do it again. The aroma fills my nostrils and I begin to anticipate how that wine might taste.

Next, I take a sip and hold it in my mouth letting the flavor of the wine sit there until I know that my taste buds are diluted. That’s when I know that it is time to swallow. So, I swallow to see what it really tastes like. The flavor of a really good wine will stay on your tongue and warm your palate with taste. Not sure that’s how it’s done, but it works for me.

Sometimes I think a person can be like wine or a person can even be like the bottle that holds the wine. Some bottles are shapely, and some are straight up and down. Some bottles have color and some are clear. Some have a screw cap and some have a cork. So many different bottles. Bottles do have similar characteristics, though. They keep the wine all together in one place so it can be poured. They protect the wine from the elements. Bottles have strength and yet, they can break. So many different bottles. So many different people.

The flavor of the wine could be similar to a person’s personality. Some wines are so smooth that it feels like it slips down your throat barely recognizing the feeling. A person might be that smooth when they speak to you and suddenly you are agreeing with them when that is not what you believe. Some wines are so delightful that you want the flavor to last and last just as there are people that you want to stay in your life and never leave. And, then there is the wine that has turned to vinegar and, well, that speaks for itself. I guess you can use it for cooking.

My wine-tasting day was just a reminder to me that I will continue to experience great wines each time I go to a winery for a taste. I’m going to continue doing that. I’m going to keep tasting wine just as I taste life because my life experience is as unique as the flavor of wine.

I like the taste of wine
It’s created by design
The taste is incredibly divine
Adding color to cheeks that shine

If people really were like wine
They might be truly fine
They may even walk a line
And not always take the hardline

So, the next time you taste wine
Savor the taste sublime
It is like a glacier or shrine
That will weave with fun as your incline

Glacier

I think, yes, sometimes I do think
Not about me, surprisingly
I think about the things I see
The things I hear, the things I feel
It isn’t as if there is a shortage
Of all these things
Just close your eyes and listen
You will hear and feel
And, then you will see
But not with your eyes
You will see with your heart
It is so simple if you just try
So, close your eyes and breathe
Breathe deeply into your soul
Let it all happen as nature intends

Prairie Storm

I was running through the forest thinking that I could get there faster if I took the shortcut. It wasn’t working. The brush and twigs from the trees had created a soft cushion but a difficult walkway. My shoes weren’t meant for this nor were my feet. I thought, “I’ll just keep moving. Maybe it won’t matter.” I wasn’t sure it would make any difference anyway.

I had just been at a meeting with the members of an elite group of people. Well, they thought they were elite. The rest of us were just trying to participate. We weren’t successful. No one would let us speak. Even when we raised our hands to try to attract attention so we might be able to say something, it didn’t help. The eyes would simply move on by. After awhile, we just gave up. And, listened. To all the rhetoric. Funny how people think they are important and think what they have to say just might have meaning. Neither was true. They weren’t important and they definitely did not have anything to say that was worth hearing.

Suddenly, I felt myself falling forward. It didn’t take long to land on the soft cushion created by the forest. It didn’t hurt. I just sort of bounced.

I laid there for a few seconds trying to figure out if I was hurt. But, I wasn’t. Before I could get up, the sound was there. The sound. The sound was unusual and not what I was expecting. Well, really, I wasn’t expecting sound at all. I was expecting to pick myself up from the ground and get moving. It didn’t happen. I laid there and listened. What was the sound?? It didn’t sound like a human voice. It sounded more, hm, celestial, like what I imagine an angel would sound like, if angels were to speak. I sat up and listened.

The sound was coming from just beyond the bend. I needed to see what was causing the sound so I proceeded to get up. As I walked toward the sound, I didn’t hear any other sound. No birds, no small creatures, no wind. Just the unusual sound that was pulling me forward.

And, then, I saw it. The big, beautiful, unusual, green and full…tree. Yes, a tree. The sound was definitely coming from this large tree. Now, nothing made sense. Trees don’t make celestial sounds, maybe terrestrial, but definitely not celestial. I had to find the source of the sound.

I walked over to the tree and stared for a few minutes. Nothing. The sound had stopped. So, I walked around the tree looking for the source of the sound. Nothing. I stopped, trying to think of what to do.

Then, I touched the tree. I put my hand very gently on the trunk of this very large tree. I felt it. I felt the sound but I couldn’t hear it. This was really getting weird. Suddenly, I felt the tree ask me to speak. Yes, I felt it. So, I did, and here is what I felt I had to say:

Oh, tree of life so beautiful, and strong
Wave your branches and sing along
Help us to be kind, and always belong
To the many who insist on singing your song

I felt a sense of urgency in that short interlude with this beautiful tree. It was as if the tree were listening to me, to my heart. Then, I knew that we are not alone. I knew we were all interconnected. I was connected to this tree. It could hear me! The longer I held my hand on the tree, the stronger I felt. So…much…energy. The spiritual energy filled my soul. I felt renewed.

As I moved away from the tree, I began to feel a deep sense of peace, knowing I could come back anytime to renew my inner self. Yes, I spoke and the tree listened.

Giant Springs