Renewal in Central Park

Another sunny day in NYC and by one p.m. I find myself alone again - at last!  I headed straight for Central Park.  I was so happy to be in a place unlined with buildings and not overrun with hustling, bustling crowds of people, many plugged into cell phones and IPods, not even looking at the scene through which they rush.  In Central Park, even New Yorkers slow down and some even un-plug.

It took me awhile to tune out the noise of cars that penetrate the Park.  None of the silence of the Rocky Mountains here; the busy-ness of city life and air traffic hums (sometimes blares) in the background of Central Park like the hums and "white noises" of our homes:  refrigerators, dishwashers, washers and dryers, even the buzz of the DVR.  (Electronics are never silent unless unplugged.)  Still, the relative quiet was peace-inducing.

As the city noise subsides, so does the chatter in my head.  It is then I begin to notice things one often otherwise misses:  the female red cardinal flitting from tree to tree;  an owl sitting as still as a statue on a high branch;.  a blue jay darting past; ducks swimming in the scattered ponds.  As I wander the Park, I come to a place with a sign that informs me that this area is one of the top birding spots in the United States.  Who would have thought such a thing!  Yet it makes sense - with so little habitat in the city, the birds and other wildlife (gray squirrels seem to abound) must congregate here, a green haven in the midst of the concrete jungle.

I lay down on the grass, where my whole body gets to reconnect with and ground into the Earth I so love.  I feel the stress of the past couple of days drain out of my body, as the Earth and I begin to breathe in unison as the One Being we are.  I look up into the tree canopy, which given the season is red and gold rather than green.  The sunlight lights the leaves, and the slight breeze causes them to rustle.  One can get mesmerized watching them.

Hours later I return to the hotel, refreshed, ready to be with the couple hundred people at the the conference my husband it attending.  Ready to dance, and dance we did.