When the wind races through the forest it sounds like crashing waves. With each strong gust of wind I only have to close my eyes and I can imagine myself standing on a sand dune. In reality I am sitting on a tree trunk covered in moss looking out on a pine forest that seems to go on forever, its trees swaying with a subtle force.
I am lost. In a moment of confusion I have wandered too far into the woods. I had come to a lovely but unfamiliar forest path and thought I could easily find my way back. But no. I try to reorient myself by retracing the route in my mind that brought me to this point. How often did I turn left, how often right? My plan is to stay on the current path and to turn left wherever paths cross. This should eventually lead me back somewhere familiar. On my next walk I will be sure to bring breadcrumbs.
I move on and just when I am about to start cursing because I can only go diagonally or completely to the right, I see a herd of deer. They are grazing in a clearing among the trees. It’s my first time seeing deer in this forest and I am as excited as a five-year-old. Around my cabin and in the garden I see their hoof prints and droppings everywhere but until now they have managed to avoid me. I stand stock still, captivated by their beauty. Just before they catch wind of me, running with great leaps into the forest, I am even able to take a photograph. Ecstatic that I lost my way, and with renewed courage, I opt to take the path leading diagonally to the right. I am so happy that I am in the forest and not sitting on top of a sand dune.
