00:45

The Peace Of The Wild Things By Wendell Berry

by James Williams

Type
talks
Activity
Meditation
Suitable for
Everyone
Plays
2

This poem is about finding calm in the presence of nature when life feels heavy or uncertain. It reminds you that peace can be found by stepping away from worry and returning to the natural world. You’re invited to rest in the stillness of animals and trees — beings that live without fear of the future. It teaches that when you quiet your thoughts and simply exist among the wild, your spirit softens, your mind clears, and you remember what it means to be at ease.

NatureStressAnxietyMindfulnessEmotional HealingInner PeaceNature ConnectionStress And Anxiety ReductionMindfulness Of Nature

Transcript

When despair for the world grows in me,

And I wake in the night at the least sound in fear of what my life and my children's lives may be,

I go and lie down where the wood drake rests in its beauty on the water and the great heron feeds.

I come into the peace of the wild things who do not tax their lives for forethought of grief.

I come into presence of still water,

And I feel above me the day-blind stars waiting with their light for the time I rest in the grace of the world and am free.

Meet your Teacher

James WilliamsAtlanta, GA, USA

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© 2026 James Williams. All rights reserved. All copyright in this work remains with the original creator. No part of this material may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the copyright owner.

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