A Poem by Kristina Schwartz, a Self-Reg in Early Childhood Development alumni about nature as the mirror of Self-Reg Step 4: Reflect.
The trail never rushes me.
It just is.
Ground beneath, sky above,
and a rhythm I can return to.
I ride—not to escape,
but to meet myself where I am.
Every climb a question.
Every breath, a quiet reply.
The trees don’t ask why I’m tense.
They don’t need my to-do list.
They offer space.
To breathe.
To soften.
To notice the way light shifts through the leaves—
just like my thoughts,
just like me.
Somewhere between the hum of tires
and the hush of the woods,
reflection settles in.
Not dramatic, not loud—
just honest.
This is my Reflect.
Not an answer,
but a way back—
to calm, to curiosity,
to the part of me
that remembers how to listen.
