“I should do what exactly?”Corinthia said.
“We should all go!”Stevie was bouncing up and down, now, making a face at Corinthia that was clearly intended to strongarm her into playing wingwoman.
“Is it, like, swimming or something?”Drew asked.She seemed to be open to the idea even if it did involve being immersed in actual water.
“There’s no bathing involved,” Stevie said.“You just stand around in the woods and… commune with the forest.The guy who runs it is super nice and we get like twenty people showing up every time we offer this program.”
“I’m in,” Drew said, nonchalantly, as if forest bathing was something she did every day and twice on Sunday.
“Yippee!”cried Stevie.“Corinthia?”
Corinthia had never been a granola type of person, this was true.But in a part of herself Corinthia had heretofore not acknowledged, an unruliness had awoken—and secretly thrilled to the invitation.
“I’ll go,” she said.
13
Standingattheedgeof the Refuge the following day, Corinthia had second thoughts.Her previous forays had been blessed with cool air; changeable, cloud-skirted skies; and a breeze that ran down the paths like a child at a birthday party.But today, it was hot.
“Hot” in the Refuge didn’t mean the same thing as “hot” anywhere else.The sun poured from an endless blue sky, bounced off the white sand, and baked any exposed skin without mercy.Shorts had seemed like a good idea until Corinthia’s calves began to crisp.
“Stop fussing,” Stevie said, when Corinthia pointed this out.“Drew’s not complaining.”
Drew had wandered off a little ways and was drinking from a tan-colored canteen.
“Drew,” Corinthia pointed out, “appears to be wearing lightweight technical gear suitable for a two-week jungle trek.”
“You’ll be fine,” Stevie said.“We’ll move further in and there’ll be more shade.”
The event leader waved his arms.“Come along, everyone.We’re going to go a little ways down the trail.”He looked more like a fisherman than the crunchy granola type Corinthia had been expecting.His broad-brimmed hat cast shade on his weathered face, and his khaki shirt and pants had what looked like a very practical quantity of pockets.Corinthia respected dressing for the occasion.
A single black vulture, feathers shining in the sun, glided elegantly overhead like a black satin kite.Corinthia had seen birds of its kind while walking Beaufort.On the ground they seemed to be ungainly, but over the Refuge they seemed to be a special sort of observer, content to float between the sand and sky.
In the intense light, the dragonflies looked like suncatchers carved from brown gemstones.
When their group had gathered in the relative coolness of one of the trail corridors walled by thickets, he waved to everyone.“I’m George, and I am a certified forest bathing guide.Has anyone here been forest bathing before?”
Stevie’s hand shot up.
“Good, good.Well, if you’ve never forest bathed before, don’t worry.It’s as easy as falling off a log!”He gestured to a nearby fallen tree, and chuckled.“We’re just going to open up our senses and find some tenderness for the forest.”
“Tenderness?”Corinthia muttered.
Stevie elbowed her.
“Remember,” he said.“This is not a hike.Take your time.Slow down.It’s okay to stay in one spot for the whole session!You have everything you need right here.”He gestured to the immediate vicinity with one hand, but he also touched the center of his chest with the other.“Use all five of your senses, not just your eyes and ears.Smell the dirt.Touch the trees.Taste the pine needles.”
“Taste the what now?”Corinthia said.
“They’re edible,” Stevie said.
“First, however,” he continued, “I always like to start with one of my favorite opening activities: asking a question of the forest.”
Corinthia would previously have thought this was ridiculous, but since she had basically already bossed the forest around with accidental wishes, she figured she could handle asking it a simple question.
“I want everyone to find a tree that you feel drawn to—or even a flower, you can speak into it like a telephone—and ask it a question.Out loud, mind you: like you mean it.And then when we get done, we’ll see if we got any answers.”
Drew nodded as if this was all as believable as aliens.
