Needing the Peace of Wild Things

When the world gets this crazed, and extremists pull and twist the media, when supposed leaders should soothe, and places like Facebook—once meant to bring us together, tear us apart and fuel our collective anxiety and anger, I escape to where I am safe. Nature. I back that up with a healthy dose of words, reaching for authors and poets I have read time and again.

We are facing an unprecedented American madness layered in jagged toxicity, and I knew I had to pull away from Facebook. Years ago, I killed my television and had not looked back. At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, I also pulled the plug on my Netflix account. I’ve even stopped listening to sports radio, a touchy proposition on the best of days. Now that there are no sports to discuss (mostly) men, with little more than chest-beating it takes pedal their view of the world.

You can have it all the craziness. I want simplicity. I wish for peace and unhurried thoughts. I long to rise above the constant co…