Flowers of Autumn

Is there anything more real than nature? I know that is kind of a "duh" statement, but there is so much truth to it that I think we honestly ever seem to realize. I mean, how many of us actually live as the freshness and "reality" of nature is just that? How much time do we spend indoors as opposed to the outdoors?
I wonder what it would be like (or even possible) for humans to live like elves do in Lord of the Rings or in Mercedes Lackey's "The Enduring Flame" where they live so closely in harmony with nature that sometimes it's hard to tell the difference between what is natural and what has been formed? Why do humans gravitate so much towards cities, noise, and closeness? Is it a sly trick by Satan to get us away from the beauty of God's creation and the thought-provoking nature it provides to us? Or is it simply the ways of mankind, how we exist and live best? 
Interesting ideas to which I have no idea about and have no true value in life, but they certainly are intriguing to think about and wonder. 

Yesterday afternoon I went to the Cumberland Falls not very far away from school. I went for the purpose of getting away from school and getting into nature. 
When I first started out I had the aroma of musty leaves filling my nose, but I also smelled cinnamon. The presence of Autumn is being fully felt now with the weather as well as most of the trees being leafless or nearly there. But I realized that I had not really felt the full force of the beauty of Autumn while being stuck at school where trees are limited and life just pushes and pulls you to keep moving and keep busy.
Being out in the middle of nature I found myself fully realizing and then appreciating the change of seasons and the orientation of my second favorite season. I found myself seeing the "flowers of Autumn," a phrase that is going to be the title of a poem soon, and loving it.
Despite being by myself, my trip was mostly enjoyable. I was clambering over rocks, sitting in the sun on a rock, and enjoying the weather.

Nature has this way of making me feel pensive, reflective, and introspective. Whether I actually do a lot of thinking isn't always important; the mood is rather soothing and silence is often best served in its presence.
Actually, most of the time, I don't do a lot of thinking, just a lot of feeling. My mind is free of any work or school related responsibilities and can wander in simple and pleasant solitude, in peaceful and heartfelt silence.
So that's how I spent a couple hours at the Falls: sitting on a rock, soaking in the sun, and just...being...and feeling.