I ran all the way, and as soon as I passed the clearing and saw the wobbly mud path speckled with stones, I paused to take a breath, quietly removed my shoes and placed them besides a rock. And then, on my toes, I entered the woods.

I started walking and taking everything in at once. The long, green, grass, the swaying trees, and the fading stars in the sky. It was nearly dawn. Slowly the sun came up, waking up everyone with him. The birds were the first ones to wake up and their delightful, merry chirps filled the air with joy. And in a minute, everyone woke up. The squirrels gnawed at their freshly picked acorn, the butterflies fluttered from flower to flower sipping the sweet nectar, the rabbits hopped here and there, digging their burrows, the bees hummed busily and the monkeys jumped and chattered in the trees.

A herd of giraffes came to nibble on the green leaves and soon a herd of deer joined them. Nobody noticed me. I walked on until I reached the pond. I stepped into the water and felt the cool, clear water swirl around me and the smooth stones and pebbles felt so soothing to my feet. I took big whiffs of the cool, fresh and sunny breeze and I felt like I was the one with Mother Earth.