I’ve been thinking today about what it means for something to be “pretty”…

I went on a hike in Western Wisconsin. When discussing the trip, someone told me that my selected area, in early December, is not going to be very beautiful.

As I walked around in the woods, I thought to myself, “how could this not be considered beautiful?” Just being in nature is pretty incredible.

What does it mean for nature to be beautiful? Does there need to be leaves? Does there need to be an array of colors? Or can something be beautiful because of the way it makes you feel? Because of the smells in the air? The rustling of the leaves? The safe feeling that you get when you know you are completely alone?

I know that everything has gone to sleep in anticipation for the winter, that it may seem dreary and dead, but EVERYTHING that I saw was absolutely beautiful.

-a wanderer-