Let me tell you a story, a story of two boys and a wood.
Less R&B and more Drum and Bass
R&B are the two boys in question, probably less R&B and more Drum and Bass! Before I get to the story let me tell you about R&B, firstly they’re not really boys both are in their late twenties both grew up with not the easiest of starts, being in and out of trouble, growing up on estates where you have to grow up quickly to survive. I’m sure you get the idea, what I would call ‘townies’ through and through, Nature to them is something that is out there, something to ride the rally bikes through.
Despite everything they both have hearts of gold, and both are on some form of quest but as of yet they haven’t worked out quite what for, but they are getting there.
It All Starts With a Chat
The story starts back on Monday of last week when R phoned me up and asked if he could come round for a chat, which generally means that’s he’s either completely ‘stressed out’ or he’s in trouble! For general chats and catch up he normally just drops by.
So on Monday R is sat chatting with me, and yes his stress levels where that high he was near meltdown. During the conversation he asked how it was that nothing seemed to ‘faze me’, nothing ‘stressed me out’. The answer is simple, I said “I just go to the woods and tell the woods about what is stressing me, I talk to the woods about it and the woods just sort it out”. This met with one of those either you’re an absolute genius or you’re completely barking mad looks from R.
To The Woods!
It really didn’t take much convincing that an afternoon in the woods would help, if nothing else it would get him some fresh air!
So, on Wednesday we headed up to one of my favourite woods, about an hour’s walk from where I live. R set out at such a pace; I had never seen him so eager; it was almost as if his life depended on getting to the woods. I kept slowing him down, stopping to look at things, taking short detours; no matter what I tried it appeared that on this occasion the destination was FAR more important than the journey!
At the woods I showed R around, explained a little about being Nature’s Caretakers a few does and don’t, if you want and after an hour of so I could see he shoulders physically drop, I could see the weight lift from him, it was quite amazing to see.
As R started to relax he asked if he could come back to the woods on his own to unwind and relax, which seemed a little odd, although I call it my wood, it’s not, after all we don’t really own anything, there are no possessions. Anyway, we left it that he would go back whenever he felt the need and he understood about being Nature’s Caretaker and I could see the benefit after a couple of hours, to be honest I knew he would back in that wood at the first opportunity and I also knew he would most likely bring B with him.
Living The Dream
Three days pass, and I hear nothing from R, so yesterday I decide to go for a walk around, and having a feeling that R and possible B would be in the wood I thought I would take in a route that encompassed the wood.
I get to the wood and sure enough R&B are there. As I get closer I can hear the chopping and sawing of wood! I did fear the worse! As I reached the wood I could see R&B on the far bank (the wood has a pond that goes around it like a moat), both with the broadest of grins, both covered from head to toe in dirt, both looking like a pair of 11 years who have broken up for the summer holidays from school.
They did look a sight, but both so happy and loving life! This was the R that I was looking for; the one without a care in the world, the wood was working it magic!
By the time I get into the wood I find out that R&B have cleared all the dead wood (that can be reached) out of the water, they had made a start at cutting the dead wood out of some of the trees, collecting up rubbish from other visitors and generally tidying up, being Nature’s Caretakers!
With the dead wood they had fashioned a shelter by weaving it together with a couple of saplings, to make ‘living’ walls (their term not mine). Inside they had dug a small fire pit and surrounded it with stones, built seats out of a couple of dead trees, they had gone the whole hog, I was very impressed.
As I Left
I stayed and helped for a couple of hours then headed off on the rest of my walk around, as I left I looked back at them and I could see two 11 year old boys building a den in the woods, lost in a completely different world, not a care or worry, truly living in the moment. I could see two lads living the dream, the dream of living in the woods, even if the dream only last until they left the wood.
I don’t know if they ever got the chance to build dens as kids, but it doesn’t matter, they got to do it in their late twenties; you’re never too old to be a kid.
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Just as I was finishing writing this R popped by to thank me for taking him up to the wood, timing or what! He said that the time in the wood over the weekend had straightened him up, helped him to think more clearly and helped to focus on what was important. He said that he didn’t know where it all came from but he got up this morning knowing who to speak to and what to do to relieve the stresses of last week, I didn’t like to tell him that it was the wood taking to him 
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