Do you see any Forest Shapes in the picture above? Let your mind wander…

Last week, I was encouraging you to take a Forest Walk. Well, I took my own advice and went for one myself this past weekend and all of a sudden I started playing a creative game with myself — what forest shapes could I see and name?

Although it sounds simple, it takes intention to look at a forest of trees and create shapes, images, and other ideas in your mind. However, if you allow your mind to roam, nature can really delight one with all sorts of surprising images. It is sort of akin to clouds — when you look up at random clouds and all of a sudden images of all sorts of things pop into your mind.

It often takes a state of reverie and receptivity to be able to allow your mind to wander and be free to see shapes other than their concrete forms. Sure, the tree trunk above is a tree trunk — but I immediately saw the letter “L” for my name and was terribly fond of this tree spelling out my initial in such a beautiful way.

I immediately snapped this picture and it inspired me to keep looking for more shapes. More and more creative thoughts came to my mind — I was no longer just taking in nature, but I was imagining and creating as I went along. It was fun to let go of my cares for a little bit of time and immerse myself in such a creative enterprise.

Reverie, imagination, freedom of thought, presence to one’s environment — all of these are important for this creative burst of energy. I invite you to tell me what you see.