“When one starts thinking of the full moon as a common sight that will come again to one’s eyes ad-infinitum, the value of life is diminished and life goes by uncherished.” –Roman Payne

I still find myself awed by sunrises, sunsets and full moons, and I’m thankful for that. A quick scroll through my photos provides solid proof of this fact, as it seems that hardly a week passes without me snapping a photo of a sunrise, sunset or, most recently, a full moon.

The full moon and the phases leading up to it were a special treat during my recent turkey hunting trip in South Florida. Most nights during our hike out after roosting a bird (or at least attempting to roost one as the Osceolas were rather tight-lipped the first few days of our hunt), we had no need for headlamps.

The brilliant moon lit our path morning and evening as we walked, our shadows taking each step with us. It became a favorite part of my evening as we made our way back to camp listening to the conversations of the owls and other night birds while basking in the beautiful moonglow.

Back in camp each night as we cooked over the glowing coals of the fire, I would often find myself staring at the moon, and I did the same when I arose in the morning with a fresh cup of coffee in hand. Lost in the sounds of the morning swamp, I would simply stand staring at the orb through the moss-covered limbs of the live oaks and cypress trees.

I have always, in light of Payne’s quote, cherished the uncommon beauty that exists in nature. While I cannot say that I have never taken this beauty for granted, I have always recognized the importance of immersing myself into the outdoors on a regular basis as, more or less, a “reset button” from the stresses and pressures of daily life.

To that note, I am reminded of the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson: “In the woods, we return to reason and faith. There I feel nothing can befall me in life–no disgrace, no calamity, (leaving my eyes,) which nature cannot repair.” I’ve mentioned those words in my writing before and they always seem so very appropriate for my view of the outdoors as therapy.

Like many, I also tend to view my time in the outdoors as an escape. Our connectivity during our six days in the swamp is always very limited when compared to a normal day at home or work. By limited, I mean a bar or two, at best, of cell service and the occasional interaction with another hunter outside of our group.

You have enough service to text or call home, but opportunities to mindlessly surf social media or catch up on the day’s events are limited. This suits me just fine as, typically, it is not my habit to watch or read the news. I realize that there are many that wouldn’t agree with this approach; however, I have found that it works for me.

At some point, I finally had my fill of the constant feed of what Don Henley so aptly deemed “Dirty Laundry” in his 1982 song by the same name. Don’t get me wrong, I love this country and I love reading and seeing positive stories about the good that still exists in this world. I’m just tired of all the negative political finger pointing and backbiting.

Being outdoors and “unplugged” from the worries of the world is always a welcome change. However, we have a wedding coming later this year, and I have a future son-in-law that is now a naval aviator (congratulations to Jake on receiving his wings of gold this past Friday at NAS Meridian). With that fact in mind, even being in the swamp couldn’t remove me far enough from the tension that currently exists in the world.

Many of those early morning and late evening walks in the moonlight were spent in prayer, prayers for protection for Jake and the men and women that serve in our military, and prayers for peace in these uncertain times.

I have always prayed for our armed services and I believe that we have the best in the world. I have also always prayed for peace. Simply put, my hope is for a strong military that we never have to use.

When I found out while hunting that Tate’s future husband Jake is soon headed off to his next assignment as an F-18 Super Hornet pilot, I have to admit that my prayers for peace became even more fervent. It’s funny what you think about when walking in the moonlight of a Florida swamp in the pursuit of a wild turkey.

Mahatma Gandhi said, “When I admire the wonders of a sunset or the beauty of the moon, my soul expands in the worship of the creator.” Without a doubt, he was right, and I have spent a lot of time lately in the worship of my creator under the wonder of that moonlight.

Until next time, here’s to those who serve to protect our freedoms, here’s to protection for them and peace in the world, here’s to the beauty of a full moon and to communing with our creator, and here’s to seeing you out there in our great outdoors.

Email outdoors columnist Brad Dye at braddye@comcast.net.