Wise words from long ago emerge from the depth of memory to the sensory moment

During my winter woodland and prairie hike this clear brisk 15° day,  I shifted into a state of walking meditation. The soft focus of mind allowing thought to drift into consciousness un-directed, which often results in insights otherwise unattended. I find much creative flow during time in nature, during hikes, and especially when hiking in a woods. This morning I thought the importance of interacting with nature on a regular basis, the longevity of my intimate relationship  with nature, and how that personal relationship with nature has evolved over the years even as it is utterly unchanged.
Specifically I recalled a conversation from 10th grade G.A.T.E. (Gifted and Talented Education) class. Perhaps Ezra  does not remember, yet he is central to the story. Ms. Medved asked us what we would do if we had some a large amount of disposable income. Brooke, age 15, struggled to form an answer; it seemed  1.) inconceivable that I would have disposable income and 2.) curious to think about what I might do with it if I had. Ezra, however, had an answer at the ready,  "I would buy a plot of land just for the sake of maintaining it as a natural area."
I remember thinking how absurd that answer sounded to me. You see, at the time I lived in rural western Pennsylvania. I could, and most days did, walk out my door and directly access thousands of acres of natural area. I was blessed to be living on the border of a county park that remained biologically diverse (although I didn’t think of it in those terms then) and accessible if one was willing to scramble up the hill side, which I very much was. I took for granted that everyone had that access to nature, it was not even something to think about. So to hear Ezra say buy land to preserve it as a natural area seemed extraneous. We were surrounded with abundant natural areas that were ours for exploring unimpeded. 
In the years since, I have come to recognize the wisdom of young Ezra's words. I have worked with and for various organizations that have done just that - procured land for the purpose of preserving natural areas. I have had the profound pleasure of working with various professionals in the field of natural area preservation and land management and I’ve learned much from their generosity of spirit and collaborative nature’s.
Not only is it important to procure, protect, and preserve natural areas; it is also important to interact with them on a regular, even daily basis. So I say to you:  hie ye hither to the woods! to the prairie! to the fen, marsh, meadow or even to the grassy park in your neighborhood for nature is essential to human wellness.
Hear the whoosh of birds take flight in a cluster from the tree top, note the leaf frozen to the winter soil, smell the lush scent of warm spring soil, splash in a puddle as it form in the rain, chase a falling autumn leaf,  breathe in the cool, moist forest air on a hot summer day, feel the furry soft bud of a magnolia tree, feel the cold crunch of snow. It is all good for the soul.