Written Tales Magazine

Written Tales Magazine

📖 Stories

The Healing Power of Nature

Short Non-Fiction by Joy L. Magnusson + Interview

Written Tales's avatar
Written Tales
Nov 02, 2023
∙ Paid

About Written Tales

You can purchase Written Tales Magazine in print or digital format or become a paid subscriber and download your favorite editions. To view our upcoming stories & poems, please visit our publishing schedule calendar.

Refer a friend


It’s a beautiful summer evening. Not too warm, not too cool. It’s that perfect, elusive temperature we call “lovely.”

The house is warm and full of smiling faces. Delicious aromas promise a scrumptious dinner is on its way. It’s all very wonderful, but you can’t help yourself. You slip out the door.

It’s been such a very stressful week. Your eyes are aching. Too much time staring at a computer screen, your doctor says. Your head is thick with the allergies of the season. A week of relentless sneezing and coughing has left your chest tight. On top of that, you woke up this morning with a sharp pain in your back. It’s not serious, but you can feel it every time you move. Maybe you shouldn’t have come out to your friend’s acreage. You would have been better off at home in bed.

But as soon as you step off the deck into the grass, the cool evening breezes stroke your face. The scent of fresh lake air overcomes you, and the week’s tensions melt away from you into oblivion. Your very soul relaxes.

User's avatar

Continue reading this post for free, courtesy of Written Tales.

Or purchase a paid subscription.
© 2026 Written Tales · Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Start your SubstackGet the app
Substack is the home for great culture