Finding treasures in the forest

Every year I envy my dogs drinking the spring runoff . Bright, cold water that I imagine tastes like pine and soil and growth. Like spring.

They look at me smiling through the shafts of sunlight, water dripping from their chin.

Monday morning we went up a trail I haven’t visited in years. Alone in the woods, with only the sounds of birds, bright against the rushing creek.

After a steep climb we came around a bend to find an ephemeral spring bubbling from the earth. Filtered by its passage through rock and gravel, it tasted of summits and snow. Of distance. Of spring.

It is good to remember that treasures take many forms. That by merely having eyes open to the world around you can bring unexpected gifts.