On a Massachusetts Mountaintop

Southeast from North Adams on the road to Florida, Massachusetts, windmills spin above the trees on the top of Bakke Mountain. 

The state’s largest wind farm, which overlooks Route 2, was once a turnip farm with open fields and grazing livestock. But as the farm fell into disuse and the land became overgrown, deer, black bears, kestrals, and other wildlife began to disappear along with the open space. 

In 2002 one-hundred acres were cleared and are now maintained as a thriving habitat for wildlife. Moose have been spotted on the mountain and kestrels once again fly over the open meadows. This conservation effort co-exists with the wind farm, which powers over 10,000 homes annually. 

On this particular spring day, afternoon clouds drift over the windmills, casting shadows on the mountaintop. Sit back, take a deep breath, and let your mind and body relax. Listen to the water rushing nearby, the wind, and the “clink” of a flagpole in the distance. As you watch the video, let your mind settle.

"Flow with whatever may happen and let your mind be free," the philosopher Zhuang Zhou once wrote. "Stay centered by accepting whatever you are doing. This is the ultimate."