Our modern day lifestyles have distanced many of us from a daily interaction with nature. When every fiber in your being seems to be tight and tense, there is something very healing about really connecting with the wonder of our natural world.
I don’t think it matters too much whether you walk through the woods, camp by a mountain stream, or sit on a beach watching the tides ebb and flow. The important thing is to step away from a constant focus on the artificial man-made environment of concrete, lumber, and steel. Even if you go for a walk in your neighborhood, if your focus is on the trees, flowers, birds, bees, and butterflies — instead of the sidewalks, houses, and paved roads — you will reap the rewards of a more relaxed mind, body, and spirit.
The picture in this post is one I took in our neighborhood. It was a wonderful late summer afternoon, and I had gone out for a walk. I came across this glorious grouping of multicolored Lantana, next to the sidewalk. It was beautiful by itself, but as I stood gazing at it, I realized that it was also an enticing world to a multitude of buzzing bees and fluttering butterflies. When I tried to get close enough to capture all of this amazing activity in a photograph, the individual bee or butterfly I was trying to focus on would inevitably fly off. It didn’t matter, though, because I can still see it in my mind’s eye. The important point is that I could have easily walked right by it, and not really seen it at all!
We get so used to feeling stressed, that sometimes we’re not even aware of it. We don’t realize the toll it’s taking on us. Too many of us live and work in man-made structures, in a world of almost constant busyness and “doing.” We’ve moved so far away from the natural elements, and the calming idea of “being.” Nature has the power to sooth our frazzled nerves, if we can just slow down enough to let it work its magic!
Give it a try! Go somewhere where you’re able to experience nature in all of its glory. Walk slowly, or take the time to sit or stand, and really allow it to soak into your pores. Look around you. Touch the bark on a tree. Smell a flower. Breathe it all in! Become aware of how you’re feeling in that moment. Scan your body and notice if there’s any tension left in it that you can just let gently slip away. Tap into the healing power of nature! Your frayed nerves will thank you for it!
Until next time,
Linda
I love your post Linda! I agree 100% in the healing and nurturing aspect of nature. It’s easy to lose sight of the many benefits we can achieve by simply noticing the beautiful world around us. Just taking a walk, like you mentioned, can inspire your imagination and elate your mood. I also love to surround myself with plants in my home. For some reason, they just make me happy!
Thank you, Renee. Going into nature and really being mindful of the gifts that it so freely gives us, is powerful, but like you said, it’s easy to lose sight of that. I agree about the house plants. They can be a little bit of nature brought into our man-made environment. Thanks for stopping by the blog and adding your inspiration!
Linda