A Walk on the Edge of the Woods

There are more animals living on the edge of the woods than there are in the deep woods or in the meadow. This zone provides both an abundance and a diversity of food as well as ample protective cover. In the meadow, raptors fly above and silhouettes bring the attention of every predator. In the deep woods, the lack of sunlight on the forest floor creates a zone that provides little sustenance; animals climb the trees or cluster near streams and lakes where there are openings to nutrients.

In our society, the public life is out in the meadows and the media provides attention to those that dwell there. While rewards can accrue to those that live in the meadows, there are raptors above and predators of every type examining the silhouettes. Do you seek a public life? If so, what drives your desire? Does attention translate to inner worth?

Are you one of those people that would rather hide in the deep woods? Do you do this for protection or is it an act of rejection? In many ways there is a peacefulness and wholeness to time spent in the deep woods and I would encourage everyone to choose to withdraw inward from time to time. However, complete disengagement is a path without sufficient nutrition for the soul and the ego.
I choose to walk on the edge of the woods. I purposefully wander into the meadow from time to time and retreat into the deep woods periodically. Some times I walk the edge of the woods alone and some times I walk it with others.

A creative life occurs both in the deep woods as there is an inner creative act that precedes any outward creative act and in the sunlight of the meadow where the creation is exposed to the often harsh mid-day sun.
Too much time in the meadow often triggers a defensive rather than creative response to life. Is it any wonder that sunlight provides needed vitamins, then the skin tans to a deeper color but beyond that the long term results are destruction of the skin and poisoning of the body. People and organizations that stake themselves in the meadow of attention often lose the sheen of health and become merely bleached bones of their former selves.
Whether hiding in the deep woods or staked in the meadow, choose to expend your energy and walk at the edge of the woods. Bring balance back to your life, not by taking on more but by shedding the imbalance. Return to the creative path and actively create again.