Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Landscapes

Which do you like best?

* Forests/Woods
"Then shall all the trees of the wood rejoice before the LORD: for he cometh, for he cometh to judge the earth: he shall judge the world with righteousness, and the people with his truth." (Psalm 96:12b-13)

* Mountains
"Sing, O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; and break forth into singing, O mountains: for the LORD hath comforted his people, and will have mercy upon his afflicted." (Isaiah 49:13)

* Seaside
"The floods have lifted up, O LORD, the floods have lifted up their voice; the floods lift up their waves. The LORD on high is mightier than the noise of many waters, yea, than the mighty waves of the sea." (Psalm 93:3,4)

I definitely love the seaside best (or lakeside... anything that is a large enough body of water that you can't see to the other side. :-) )  Being near the water fills me with a sense of freedom and excitement, and I am sure that if I were ever to live inland, more than 30 minutes from a large body of water, I would feel suffocated and land-locked. 
On the other hand, I highly dislike forests/woods.  I suppose living in a clearing, surrounded by trees that drop nuts and dull dead leaves and stringy, polleny things has helped to develop this dislike.  But anyway, when you are walking through the woods you can't see the sunset except a few colors through the branches, and it's so dark and confined and... suffocating.  By the sea, you can stand in the open with the sea and the heavens stretching as far as you can see, and you can enjoy the thrill of watching the great ball of sun sinking lower and lower, spreading its crimson beams across the clearly visible horizon, and then see it be swallowed up in the waters.  I love that!  Also, woods block the breeze and wind, but you get more of an effect of the wind (branches littered all over the yard); on the shore you can throw your arms open wide and feel the wind just take your breath away, at  the same time hearing the mighty crashing of the waves on the beach.  I love that too.

Mountains are okay too, but those are landlocked so I'll save those for vacations. :-)

Feel free to vote your answer on the poll and share your reason in the comments. :-)

5 comments:

Michelle said...

I also love the sea. The sound of waves pounding on the shore. The smell of salt lingering in the air. And all the other reasons you so beautifully wrote about.

Mountains are majestic and remind me of God's power and authority.

The woods, however, are quiet and peaceful. There you will find that life make its way as young saplings reach toward the smallest glint of sunlight. And it is in the woods you will hear the chorus of feathered friends and frogs and crickets. I love the peacefulness of forests and their never ending songs.

Amanda said...

It's hard to choose, because I love all three of them. But seaside probably wins out for me, and then mountains, and then woods.

Anonymous said...

Oh, I love seaside the best! But I like woods a lot, too.

Unknown said...

Melanie, I have always grown up around woods. But, I Love the ocean!

Emily said...

I chose the woods, cause those are the ones I most frequently visit. I've never really been to any REAL mountains, though when we drive through WV those are pretty impressive. I also LOVE the seaside, and I'd LOVE to live near the Lake like you do Mels. :) What a good place to go to write!