Some of you may have noticed I’ve been gone for quite awhile from here.

It’s been both a good and bad thing.

Good because I’ve been busy plowing back life and work that I had to take a medical redshirt of sorts from (in football terms, when a player has a medical redshirt, it means he is essentially sidelined for the rest of the year while he recovers).

Bad because it’s taken me away from a rediscovered passion of mine – writing on this here blog and at times, it takes me away from my meditations which I’ve come to cherish as well as my long forays into nature.

The past couple of weeks, I’ve been consumed by personnel issues at my company, GatorCountry.com where we are shoring up our staff with the departure of a key member.  I’ve been in nearly daily meetings, strategizing, focusing, interviewing, mulling offers and candidates, etc. etc. and so on. Such is the life of a small businessman.

This all happened in the midst of a new venture I’ve plunged into with great risk but with enormous rewards and something my heart and soul truly wants to do. When your soul and heart beckon to you deeply, you listen.

All this means exciting times (a new venture!), great sorrow and shock (key personnel and good friend leaving), and harried scurrying out and about (to find a viable replacement and at the same time try to keep working on the venture which has stalled a bit because of focus on personnel). These also mean dizzying times for me with all the highs and lows as I try to stay the course that’s my life.

Yesterday, my long time friend and Executive Editor of Gator Country, Buddy Martin, told me I looked exhausted and should take the rest of the weekend off starting today. I knew something was amiss this morning when I woke up and my ears were ringing a little bit. That’s sometimes a warning sign to slow down, that I was overloading my system and that I haven’t completely recovered from my year long battle with Meniere’s Disease. I’ve been neglecting my hillwalkin’ for the most part, swerving into eating bad food and sweets once again, and just working around the clock without a break except when it was time for my head to hit the pillow.

The ringing in my ears was also a subtle reminder to me that I was slowly but surely re-entering a downward spiral back into the life I had no longer loved. It’s all too easy to sink back into bad habits and not know it until it’s too late. Fortunately, one lesson I have learned over the year is to listen to my body more carefully and hit the brakes before things get worse.

Today I not only hit the brakes, I swerved off the beaten path into Paynes Prairie by hiking the Bolen Bluff trail that takes you right out into the midst of what used to be the Alachua Lake many years ago. It was wonderful to be back amongst nature once again where I could feel the vibrant vibration of life humming around me. It was hot as hell and I ended up sweating like a pig but it didn’t affect me a whit. I was truly back in my element once again amongst grand old oak trees arching every which way, butterflies merrily dancing about, and even a pack of wild horses feeding in the woods with a foal in their midst.

I’ve always felt that nature is God’s church and to walk in nature is to walk with God and Spirit. It was delightful and totally refreshing.

And most importantly, it was a grand reminder to me that we all must stop and smell the wild irises not just now and then but often because it’s the best way to not only recharge one’s body but also one’s spirit and soul.

By: Raymond Hines III
I'm in my early 40s with a lovely wife Nicki and a red haired darling of a daughter in Alyssa who's fast approaching her first teen years. We live in Gainesville, Florida, which we consider the motherland and a perfect location surrounded by lots of wonderful small towns, bountiful nature (springs, lakes, rivers, etc.), and of course, the Mighty Florida Gators! As far as religion, I believe in God and Jesus via interfaith/nondenominational aspects. I've always felt a quiet spirituality deep within and it's time to bring it to the forefront. For the rest of my journal entries, mosey on over here. Also, feel free to follow me on Facebook or Twitter where I often share photos and meanderings from my little journeys around the Gainesville area!
Website: http://www.GatorCountry.com