THE ART OF SITTING...AROUND THE HOUSE

Sometimes sentences just come to me.  From where?  I do not know....

The other day I was sweeping the deck off, the last chore after a few hours of outdoor puttering, when this thought popped into my head:

" I love working my butt off at Prairie Pond Woods 

so that you can come and sit on yours."

That thought led to another:

"Why don't you show all the places where people can sit on the property...to reflect or take in the beauty?"

So imagine yourself sitting back and relaxing in them, as we take a tour of the first in a series of the many chairs where you can plant Le derrière and experience the "art of sitting in one place."

The Front Porch is one of the guest's favorite places to wake up with a morning cup of Birds and Beans coffee.  It is in shade until about 1 pm and dark enough until then to use a laptop.  A breeze always blows through it, keeping it very comfortable.  At night, with the candles lit, you can listen to peepers and toads at the pond or look out over the fields filled with a zillion fireflies!  While swaying on the porch swing, you can ponder areas in your life that might need to awaken or come alive...

Just off the front porch is another great place to sit and watch fireflies at night or the sun cast its warm light on the hills in the morning.  The field in front bursts with twinkling lights around 9 pm and if the stars are visible, the whole darkness glitters from the ground to the heavens!  This is a wonderful place to ask yourself if you are letting your light shine or hiding it for some reason...

We refer to this place as the Sunset View.  In the summer, this is the perfect spot to watch the sun go down over the prairie.  In spring you can hear the woodcocks and watch their erratic, spiral flight right from these Adirondacks.  With a cold drink, a cup of hot chocolate, a good friend, a soul-mate or all by yourself...this is a wonderful place to just let your thoughts meander... 

Lastly, there is always the back deck...and always a-flutter with butterflies, hummingbirds and other feathered friends at the feeder.  A great spot if you need a surface for writing or WIFI for communicating...and doing research for that novel you're working on... 



As my father used to say, "Come.  Sit a spell."

BEAUTYS & THE BEASTS

A Wildly Positive Retreat Focused on Beauty!
 

Imagine these flower surrounding you 360 degrees!
Absolutely Gorgeous!

Now imagine a day focused on all that is beautiful...in nature and in ourselves. This retreat weekend we will be accentuating the POSITIVE...all that's good and right in our world, with ourselves and one another! 

The retreat will kick-off Friday night with introductions, a beautiful sunset walk, then a relaxing movie in our jammies (movie TBD by vote...but definitely beautiful and inspiring choices), complete with popcorn and an assortment of movie candy! Because we're worth it! 

Saturday you'll be immersed in all things good...optional morning stretches while the birds sing, a guided nature walk, a natural beauty care demo, chair massages (for additional fee), time to take photos on The Refresher Course, read on the Pine Sanctuary swing, meditate in the woods, walk the Prayer Path and add your creative touch to the group painting or poem waiting in Kavanah.  A healthy, organic lunch and snacks will be served.  So come solo or bring a few good friends along...it's a beautiful way to spend a day!  

Reflective resources will also be provided. 

Upon Registration you will be emailed a Guest Packet,
containing directions and other pertinent information.

Bringing a journal, camera and binoculars is recommended. 

PATH WAYS

A recent photo I posted on Heart By Nature's Facebook page got me thinking about paths...both the real and metaphorical kind.  The description of the photo was,

 
"Prairie Pond Woods has paths for all sorts of thinking, praying,
meditating, singing, observing, skipping, drawing, closing your eyes and
filling your senses or just pausing to consider all you have to be
thankful for." 





It's true.  There are paths that circle around the prairie, paths that lead to Adirondack chairs in the woods, a path that leads down to the pond and one that connects Kavanah to a swing in the Pine Sanctuary.  On a good day, when the temperature is right and the pace is slow and full of observations and discoveries, it can take over 2 hours to walk this Refresher Course. But even longer if you take the time to sit and contemplate the personal "paths" you are currently on in life, how you got there or where you might want to go instead.

There are many references to paths in sacred texts and the writings of great men and women.  Jesus refers to the "narrow path" that his followers need to choose, and equates our hearts with "the path" on which God sows the seeds of the Kingdom.  Robert Frost, by his poetic example, encourages us to follow the "path or road less traveled."  And of course who can forget the many lessons learned on the "yellow brick road" (which eventually turned into just a path).

All of us are on a course...some kind of "path" that we  either consciously chose or perhaps ventured down while we weren't really paying attention.  Or maybe we are on a chosen path but still not really paying attention...not being intentional or grateful or joyful or filling it with the creative energy we are capable of. There's always time for course corrections and as the T-shirt slogan reminds us:

 

"Not All Who Wander (down unknown paths) are Lost." 

Recently, I hosted a woman, an artist, who came to Prairie Pond Woods for a
personal retreat.  She was on a path of busyness, but had the great
wisdom to detour down another path of solitude and rest.  More than once she commented to me during her retreat how just walking outside in silence cleared her mind and created a receptive spirit within her.  With her permission, I'm sharing the email she sent when she returned home, in hopes that her experience might be of inspiration to other artists...or moms, or students, or other average folks like you and me. 

"Just want to let you
know how much I loved being at Prairie Pond Woods--it was a
wonderful escape from the busyness that my everyday life brings!
It was lovely spending time with you as well, thank you for the
guided tour of the Refresher Course, I very much enjoyed
learning about the nature and terrain on the property. And the
extra special bonus was getting to know you...thank you for
listening and bearing witness to my new discoveries of myself
and nature! "


"Prairie Pond Woods is a very special place. The time I spent
there has inspired my creativity and reinvigorated my desire to
get back into the ceramic studio. I've long known that spending
time outside in quiet settings refills my well of positive
energy but the retreat you've created enhanced that process in
so many ways. My favorite spot, as you know, was the Kavanah! I
loved bringing my art journal, supplies and books up there and
spending the day doing whatever my heart desired."



"Thank you so very much for an amazing couple of days! I will be
back again when my well runs dry!"

Lisa
www.lisawolters.com

To schedule a personal retreat contact Cindy Steffen at 937-532-6688 or cindy@heartbynature.com