Speaker 1: Creativity is an addiction, unplugged because we will always say
yes to creativity, totally uncut because we all make mistakes.
So let's turn it into a tool. This is arrow unplugged.
I am a poet, one that just happens to write
in a forest. My forest is the Rainbow Forest in
South Charlotte, North Carolina. When I enter this forest, or
any other collection of trees, I never know what I'm
going to write about, because these aren't my words. These
are the lyrics from Rainbow Forest, chapter number three hundred
and fifty five. February eleventh, twenty twenty three. I met
with a squeaky tree while walking in this new sun.
Like a coward, I jumped. I did. My imagination envisioned
the squeaky tree was preparing to fall. That's always been
a hidden fear of mine. While walking through this forest.
Would I have enough time to get out of the
way of a squeaky tree? So many have warned me
about living with so many trees. I found piece yesterday
while strolling through the forest, an eight point buck resting
on the forest floor, maybe twenty five feet away from me.
We just stared at each other, and then I spoke
softly in the way of embracing his space. A rack
that large, I too would be sitting on the floor
of the forest. This is why I don't vacuum the
forest floor. I may be afraid of falling trees, but
I understand the connections that a tree has with the
rest of nature. I will return to the squeaky tree
with my recording equipment, not to steal the soul from
the tree, but to listen to God speak the squeaky tree.
How many squeaky things do you have in your everyday life.
You don't have to be living in a forest in
South Charlotte. You could be walking through a brilliantly lit
up city and something so different makes its way into
your ears, And then you wonder was that meant for me?
And if it was, how am I supposed to hold it,
embrace it, and then set it free? The squeaky tree
the things that get your attention where everything else is
confusion and conflict, But yet something so simple is planted
inside your day, the squeaky tree. Now look around this area.
What else could be watching you? Not to haunt you,
but to help you understand that there's a constant movement
in your presence of what is right now. But if
you're constantly looking into your past or focusing way too
much in the future that you have no control over,
then anything as simple as a squeaky tree will just
walk right by you, when in fact it should have
been something that fell into your heart and gave you calm.
I'm Ril, These are not my words. These are the
lyrics from Rainbow Forest.