What the Mountain Remembers

Petit Jean State Park, Arkansas

This weekend my family and I spent time exploring Petit Jean Mountain. We explored the Turtle Rocks, caves, trails, and creeks along the way. I love how when we explore nature, we just feel good and can't say why. It's because we are nature and by being out in it, it stimulates our senses, releases feel good chemicals in our bodies, and puts our brain in a relaxed state. It reconnects us to parts of ourselves that may have been left behind in our busy lives and it heals us on so many levels.

One of my favorite moments happened quietly. I placed my hand against a rock wall and found myself wondering how long it had been there, how many storms had passed over it, how many seasons had come and gone, and how many people had stood in that same place before me...The stone seemed almost alive with memory.

Not memory in the way we think of it, but the kind that exists in layers. Layer upon layer of time, pressure, change, and becoming. Standing there reminded me how quickly we move through our days. We rush from one thing to the next, always looking ahead. But the mountain wasn't in a hurry. It doesn't get distracted or ride on the waves of emotions. It just is...steady and strong. What the mountain remembers, it seems we have long since forgotten. That growth isn't always dramatic, sometimes it happens quietly beneath the surface. The mountain has been shaped over thousands of years.

This trip left me feeling grounded, grateful, and connected to something much older than myself. A reminder that we don't have to rush our becoming, but stay steady and strong in our purpose and spend time in nature every chance we get.

Inspired,

Haley Crabb

Elemental Living