One of the things that attracts me to the mountains is that they strip life down to basics.

Mountains have no subtle or hidden messages – they are just there.
You feel their presence deep in your gut when you wander their valleys, ridges and crags.

And sometimes getting away from life’s clutter is just what you need.

A chilly winter morning can turn even an ordinary window pane into an abstract work of art.

Look for the beauty hidden all around you.

Nana’s simplest songs have the power to change the world.

It was a cold, grey evening as I eagerly tromped down the trail towards home.

The hike had not turned out as planned.

Instead of a joyous, sunlit day amongst pines covered with fresh-fallen snow, it had turned into a dreary trudge through cloudy silence and damp cold.

But as I approached the forest’s edge, a lone chickadee began its lilting tune.

I couldn’t catch a glimpse of this tiny musician hidden within the snow-covered trees, but its bright song pierced the chill and overcame the drab surroundings.

In that moment, this thumb-sized little bird’s song changed my memory of the entire day.

Instead of the day where I froze my fingers and toes hiking along a dreary, grey trail – it was transformed into the day when a cheerful chickadee gave me a gift of song at dusk.

Simple songs can change the world.