My load limit is often full.
Finding freedom within and giving in, makes me feel good.
My life gets complicated.
Simplicity in nature can be surreal and habitually heal.
****
As I stroll down this serene surrounding, my perspective is refined.
My feet move forward, yet my body and mind want to wait.
I offer myself another moment.
To pause.
****
I stand mesmerized by natural beauty and marvel at its pureness.
As sunlight radiates down through the trees, it filters my mind.
I follow the light leading me through this wooded wonder, reminding
myself to be audacious as I step on each square stone.
****
I appreciate silence, society rushes me.
Concealed within this wondrous walk, while basking in freedom and fresh air,
I organize my reality, and stay committed to my heart and natural surroundings.
Taking time to contemplate on wooden benches discovered along the pathway,
I understand being lost, yet found, is an art to all ages.
****
I respect this refuge, admiring the assortment of hues it presents.
Seeing symbolic significance, as the Sakura flowers emulate pink snowflakes, falling gently on the ground.
I delight in this visual and sensual treat, marking an end or beginning to the next stage in life.
****
I am alive and awakened in how reflective a one mile route can be.
Finding my senses, it feels appropriate to acknowledge the great sages and confluence of magical minds surrounding me.
I observe an abundance of bumblebees perhaps disguised as the ancient greats.
****
I should decode their messages held in the hollow of aged cherry trees.
Relishing the rhythmic water stirring in the canal below, I recognize its resemblance to my inner restlessness.
A discovery of bridges that bring thinkers together provides refuge on this communal route.
****
I am no longer feeling void from life’s uncertainties, a smile and joy emerges inside and out.
Captivated by a confetti of emotions, sprinkling like pink petals on the water,
I found a place of pure rejuvenation, which will never fade from my mind’s eye.
As I snapped an ample amount of mental pictures, this springtime tradition will last a lifetime.
****
I connected with the harmony and energy this path projects, feeling
relaxed and understanding my liberated presence.
I now recognize seasons change, fragility of life exists, yet I feel whole again.
There is awe and inspiration by my capacity to bloom at varying times in my life.
****
I have this life to appreciate exquisite scenery that lies in different pockets of the world and within me.
To be aware of how infinitely connected we are is a gift.
As I glean philosophical wisdom from the past, I forge forward to the future.
Year after year remembering the stroll down Philosopher’s Path in Kyoto, Japan in the flowering season of my forty-second year.

First Published at Life As A Human on May 4, 2016

http://lifeasahuman.com/2016/arts-culture/poetry-arts-culture/path-of-philosophy/