There’s something deeply moving about the word wildness. Not the chaotic kind that first comes to mind, but the raw, untamed essence that lives just beyond my walls and routines — and within me. 

“To be fed by wildness” is to remember what it feels like to be alive in simple ways:
the sound of a good rainstorm, the deep pink in the sunrise, the gentle hum of being part of this wild world, of something vast and ancient.
It’s realizing that bliss isn’t something to go looking for, it’s something that wants to find me. Waiting. Reaching. 

So I think this is what presence really is: learning to be still enough to feel the heartbeat of the universe, to notice the rhythm of my breath matching the rise and fall of the world around me,  remembering that wildness isn’t out there … it’s in here, too.

When I soften, when I look up from my lists and my hurried days, nature reminds me that life doesn’t need to be perfect to be whole.
It simply is. And in its wildness I’m reminded: I’m alive.

Journaling Prompts:

• When was the last time you felt truly fed by nature?

• What parts of your life could use a little more wildness … a little less control?

• How can you carry a sense of natural peace into your daily routine?

Victoria Erickson is an author, poet, and creative writing coach whose work explores wildness, wellness, sensitivity, rhythm, and presence.
She is the author of Edge of Wonder: Notes from the Wildness of Being and Rhythms & Roads, and leads writing workshops and retreats designed to help others find their own authentic voice.
She lives in Austin, Texas.

You can explore more of her work at victoriaerickson.com.