A Shorter Way Around!
Let’s travel to Jacksonville Neal, you said you wanted to visit the Jacksonville Arboretum & Botanical Gardens. We have a love for botanical gardens! This one boasts wonderful walking trails, curated gardens and beautiful views.
These days Neal and I choose shorter nature trails, and I am learning not to measure an outing by mileage. (TIB – Truth in Blogging: We are not spring chickens anymore, Ha!) A friendly woman at the entrance pointed us toward The Lake Loop, only 0.3 miles around Lake Ray. That sounded just right.
“Photography gives me a reason to look. Walking gives me the time. Good company reminds me that seeing was never meant to be rushed”
— Robert Smith
The trail did not need to be long to make us stop. One look across the lake, and I understood why we had come.
Three Reasons to Pause
The lake was already beautiful, but the fountains gave my eyes somewhere to settle. Three bursts of water rising above lily pads and reflections made the whole scene feel alive. And alive it was, the ecosystem did not need me to confirm nor validate its existence but the living presence enhanced our serenity.
I came expecting a pleasant walk through the arboretum. Lake Ray gave us a destination without ever feeling like we had been in a hurry to reach it. The path gave us plenty of shade and opportunities to sit along the way. The gardens had plenty of well-placed benches, many gifted by donors whose names remained on small plaques.
THIS WEEK I NOTICED
Less Distance, Not Less Discovery
I used to think a good nature walk needed a little mileage behind it. Now I notice something different here in a botanical garden.
A shorter trail can give me more time to stop, look across the water, notice reflections, listen, photograph, and simply stay with a view instead of moving quickly toward the next one. Ask Neal, he will gladly point out how I spend “too long” on one subject.
The trail may be shorter. My attention does not have to be.
Neal standing there reminded me that part of these walks is simply sharing the same view. We do not have to cover much ground for a place to become part of our story. Well worth the drive from Ponte Vedra.
THE CONVERSATION CONTINUES
Take the Shorter Trail
A nature walk does not have to leave me sweaty and tired to leave me fulfilled. A shorter path can make room for slower marveling, longer pauses, and the pleasure of staying with one beautiful place instead of rushing toward another. Ask me the question you would have asked if you had been walking beside Neal and me.
“Given the choice, would you stay longer or move deeper into the gardens?“
“Nature rewards the adventurer! Sit or walk, you will be pleased!”
— Robert
📍Jacksonville Arboretum & Botanical Gardens, Jacksonville, Florida
Collection
Thursday Trios
Captured with
iPhone 15 Pro Max
Published by
Robert Snap Spot
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