17 Comments
User's avatar
Hui's avatar

Believe it or not, my proclivity for puns (and their attendant frequency) didn’t happen until much, much later. ;)

Expand full comment
Amanda Renee's avatar

What was the tipping point?

Expand full comment
Hui's avatar
Jan 12Edited

ROTFL. Hearing those groans from others!!!!!!

Expand full comment
Douglas Halpert's avatar

I recently was abroad and there was a rare incident when I saw the sun. Unfortunately, the sun saw me too and burnt my face and shoulders.

Expand full comment
Amanda Renee's avatar

😅 It’ll do that from time to time. Hope the warmth was worth it!

Expand full comment
Hui's avatar

Eloquently written!

My curiosity about the natural world is what has led me to learn about birds, bugs, and fungi. Sometimes making for interesting dinner conversation. ;)

The Japanese expression shinrin-yoku seems particularly apt here. :)

Expand full comment
Amanda Renee's avatar

I will be sure to take a look. Am I to expect lots of fun puns in my reading? 😅

Expand full comment
Amanda Renee's avatar

Thank you! It sounds like for you, birds were also the gateway to so many other occupations! In particular, I NEVER would have dreamed I’d be interested in fungi. There is a term for fear of the look of things like the underside of a mushroom (I can’t remember what it’s called), and I’m going to say I have it. But I’m intrigued, too, and as long as I mostly observe the top, I’m ok. 😂 I have taken some photos of the undersides, but I haven’t yet built up the ability to edit them. One step at a time, I suppose!

Expand full comment
Hui's avatar

although I could never be called a mycologist (or even a fun guy - ha), I have blogged a bit about mushrooms! curated from my vast archives ;) for your reading pleasure!

https://whsimphotos.wordpress.com/2014/11/28/of-damps-darks-and-decays/

https://whsimphotos.wordpress.com/2013/10/30/a-memoir-of-mushrooms/

Expand full comment
Sacred Healing Remedy's avatar

Gorgeous image and reflections. I know Nature has always made me feel better. I didn’t realize it was the fountain of youth too! Thank you. ❤️

Expand full comment
Sacred Healing Remedy's avatar

Me too! And I would not doubt that Hawthorne’s writing would veer into slightly different territory lol. To clarify I was indeed referring to the deer photo… stunning. Thank you for being here. ❤️

Expand full comment
Amanda Renee's avatar

Thank you! I was hoping you were talking about the deer. :)

And yes, though they were contemporaries, the tone of Emerson’s and Hawthorne’s works were *quite* different from each other! 😂

Expand full comment
Amanda Renee's avatar

I will certainly take any “excuse” to spend more time in nature. lol

It’s funny you used the term “fountain of youth.” I thought a few times about mentioning Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment,” which was written around the same time and whose characters provide quite a contrast to Emerson!

The top image is a composite I created using a product image from Zazzle and an AI image I created in Photoshop. If you are referencing the deer photo, however, that one is all mine and involves no digital sorcery! :D

Thank you again for reading, and for taking the time to comment. It means a lot!

Expand full comment
Nathaniel Bowler's avatar

I love this. No need to travel far and wide to find the wonder in nature. Look at the tree in front of you. Think of how amazing it is. Explore everything going on in that little universe

Expand full comment
Amanda Renee's avatar

One hundred percent agree!

Expand full comment
Andrea Sebastian's avatar

Yes! I think eternal youth, internally, is perpetual wonder. Looking at the world as a child is seeing the magic underlying our reality and always wanting to see and learn more.

Expand full comment
Amanda Renee's avatar

Absolutely! After so many walks, I have come back and looked up information about something I noticed while I was out. I have also reflected on how my ability to do this is quite different than what Emerson would have experienced. While certainly there were other ways to find this information when he lived, what a different experience.

Perhaps I should more often let it “sit” for a bit. Even though I remember going to the library and researching prior to the internet, it has been awhile since I was truly immersed in this experience.

Maybe I should do this once more for “old time’s sake.”

Do you think a post about the experience would be interesting? 🤔

And before I forget, thank you so much for reading and commenting.

Expand full comment