The Forest Drug

A gallery forest of straight pines at Raccoon Creek.

           The forest is a drug.  Like all drugs, it needs a little time to take effect, but once you've been out there among the trees for a half hour or more--hopefully outside earshot of all roads--it begins to work its magic.

Edible teaberries can be found almost all year long.  In the 1770s, the leaves of this berry were used for making an ersatz tea, because Britain had shut down all imports from the Caribbean.   

          There's a pleasant lightheadedness, relaxed breathing, a mild sense of euphoria.  More than that, there's a new emotional dimension.  The forest opens an unseen door in the mind, and suddenly life is colored by the new realization that there are mysteries and wonders beyond knowing.

Raccoon Lake on a deserted Wednesday.

          A good hike, like a good vacation, leaves you ready to go home.  After a nice, long, restorative trek through the woods, you should feel relief at the sight of your car.  The forest rush fades, but the well-being lingers long...because you have relearned a thing that we all forget daily: that "Something More" is possible in life.  That well-being carries you through traffic.  It gives you peace for your soul-sucking commute to work.  It makes you more patient with your children and happier to be alive.