— Life is full of difficulties and hardships, it’s a simple fact that tends to show its face at the worst of times. Murphy’s Law at the truest center of it all: Whatever can go wrong, will in fact do so.

When your kid spills red Kool-Aid on their brand-new shirt requiring a five-minute mad scramble to find a speedy replacement, rest assured the car won’t start or you’ll lose your keys.

More important than anything is the ability to leave those things behind and unwind. A way to slow down life before it runs you out of steam.

Taking a recent trip to the Big Thicket National Preserve, I did just that.

My brother and I packed a couple of large packs and spent the weekend hiking down Turkey Creek Trail.

Initially I thought it was simplicity that allows you to clear your head, but maybe it is the staggering complexity of Mother Nature that creates moments of peace.

Flora and fuana alike are the paintbrush and palette of Earth. With every stroke of oak leaves and dab of red bird, the soul is treated to the most unique art of all. Nothing can ever duplicate the beauty of nature; textures, shapes, light and composite that simply aren’t within control.

 When you take the time to appreciate the visual impact it’s almost impossible not to realize you are a piece of something greater and so magnificent that words lack description.

Walking through the trees it is easy to find something intricate, yet simple, that carries with it more beauty than anything found at an art gallery.

Look closely at an ant mound, though it may seem like the miniscule granules of dirt are carelessy tossed one upon the other, they are in fact placed one at a time, in just the right place so they can bear the weight of the increasing structure.

When have any of us taken the time to place every tiny component of our lives in just the right place to create something so much bigger than just ourselves? I haven’t and few can probably say they have themselves.

Nature brings with it not just art but the realization it takes time to build something of importance. When the rains flood or destroy the ants’ work, they don’t simply throw in the towel and meander off in search of another mound. They must clean and rebuild.

Life has become too easy in so many aspects. If we seek dinner but don’t want to cook, fast food is right there to satiate our hunger. We no longer hunt for food, no longer fetch water from the river.

It is crucial to realize where we come from, to understand that nature and life’s art are important. Sure you will get dirty, sweaty and probably experience pain if you spend some serious time in nature but that is part of life. I feel lucky, to say the least, knowing there are areas close to me I’m able to visit and stroll among the trees and animals.

We need to take advantage of areas like Claiborne Park in Vidor and the Big Thicket National Preserve which is only an hour’s drive from most homes in Southeast Texas. Even if you don’t want to walk for hours or feel the need to spend the night, you can still visit these places and see the true beauty of nature.

In fact, you may learn some very interesting things about this area as well. For example, there are only five types of carnivorous plants in the U.S. and four of them can be found in the Big Thicket, according to a National Parks Service brochure. That’s something to be proud of, we have the market cornered in carnivorous plants.

If you have never been to any of our parks, now is the time before the summer hits.

 Parks are taking a huge hit from funding cuts, they are struggling. At the entry point of parks there is a box allowing visitors to pay their fees, this is based off honesty alone.

Five dollars for a day at a park is a bargain to say the least. I think you should put a little more, keep things going. At some point our children will grow up and thank us for it but only if we teach them to stop and appreciate the most beautiful art of all, nature.

Anyone interested in visiting a park should visit the following web sites:

Texas Parks & Wildlife: www.tpwd.state.tx.us/

U.S. National Park Service: www.nps.gov/

National Forest: www.fs.fed.us/recreation/map/state_list.shtml