CRACK! Suddenly the universe went into slow motion. She was intently aware, in a way she had never before experienced. She was falling, slowly, falling.

Hey! She was falling! Yet she seemed to be floating, drifting down gently toward the ground. Was she dreaming? No, she was falling. And, much to her surprise, she wasn't afraid.

She had come to the woods to find some space away from the city, to walk, think, sort things out. The forest had beckoned, inviting her into its secret hidden spaces filled with noises that were gentle to the soul. Birds, insects, small scurrying creatures, each added their soothing sounds to the forest's melody. The satisfying crunch of leaves beneath her boots offered counter-cadence as she wandered deeper and deeper into places the forest only offered those wh…