Everything in Oklahoma is wide and flat,

including the streets around Penny's retirement community.

I'm drawn to a field bounded by Joe Creek,

which flows into the river a few blocks away.

I can hear birds and crickets.

I breathe into the pale sky.

One afternoon, I forget the key card to let me back in through the development's gate.

I wonder if I can squeeze through the wrought iron posts on one side.

I can. It makes me feel insubstantial.

Like, I'm barely here.

I've lost my center of gravity.

For so long, I was grounded by the pull of two people in a marriage.

On my own, I don't feel like there's enough of me to keep me from floating into space.

Florence Williams is a sensational writer.

Her award-winning books, including most recently The Nature Fix,

explore the hidden connections between our health and resilience and the natural world. Today's meditative story is one of the most

arresting in our series to date. It's not necessarily an easy story, but it's so very human,

and for me, makes me reflect on what a difference human connection can make

when we're experiencing loneliness.

In this series, we combine immersive first-person stories and breathtaking music

with the science-backed benefits of mindfulness practice.

From Wait-to-What and Thrive Global, this is meditative story.

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