"Lost in the Forest"

I had never intended this blog to become a chronicle about the theories and practices of graduate studies. It is meant to be a journal about going back to school at age 65. An experience of learning. An adventure to bring renewal to my journey as an artist. Not far from here is a place called Cathedral Forest. During the winter, when there are no tourists, it’s a solitary place, a retreat into the mysteries of stately old-growth trees. Giants of fir, cedar and hemlock, who have stood there for well near a thousand years.
Venturing off the path is an adventure in itself. Soon I am surrounded by mossy-green darkness, a silent canopy far above. Even snow cannot penetrate this sanctuary. The ground is choked with nurse-logs, fallen timbers, twisted branches, fledgling trees trying to survive, and decades of decaying forest floor. I am lost in the forest. But, I know the trail is back there somewhere towards the rising sun in the East. Time to regroup, re-assess, get my bearings. There’s an oxygen-enriched air in this grove that is intoxicating. Do I really want to leave? But, I will find my path again, and I know that if I continue in the right direction, I will reach the goals I have set.