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Peggy Weaver's avatar

You made my day. I still remember how hard we all laughed at the sound of traffic as I was extolling the virtues of silence. Thank you for making me smile. I'm sorry about the leaf blowers!

Jan Peppler's avatar

Ah! It is SUCH a fun memory!! Great brief trip (and a long walk around the lake - lol)!

Michael Kroth's avatar

Excellent essay Jan, with lots of great stories and info. And I love the idea of forest bathing.

Jan Peppler's avatar

Thank you, Michael! And thank you for commenting.

of course you love forest bathing - you already do it regularly! :) Great hikes = profound joy.

Jimmy Nyakora's avatar

I'm trying to imagine you talking to the leaf-blower-man.

I'd mentioned that the Nairobi Arboretum is my escape... It's always refreshing: I feel cleansed and clear headed sfter a walk in the woods. Not to mention the creativity boost. My mother has a house about 20km from Nairobi, in untamed and semi-rural country. I enjoy hiking the solitary back roads alone. Also the house is far fron traffic so the silence is holy. I feel alive and connected to myself after a visit there.

Noise... too much can be a vice :/

Jan Peppler's avatar

"the silence is holy" - I love that and I feel that. I know exactly what you mean.

and yes, a walk in the woods can definitely clear the head.

I looked up the Nairobi Arboretum - from what I can tell, it's quite a treasure!

Jimmy Nyakora's avatar

More than that a gem in the middle of the city! You can also get to learn about trees and to honor nature and even appreciate the effort in time and resources to just take care of 1 tree. The variety of trees makes the experience educational too