Every day I try and get out for my walk; grateful that my time outside includes the forest and the river. There is something about being in nature that calms the spirit. Here are some lessons I have learned from nature:
- There is beauty in simplicity. Nothing is more calming than still waters, the sun coming over the horizon, the opening of a spring bud.
- There are some things that are out of our control. The spring sun may look warm, but the wind forces me to wear my hat and mitts. I may fight it, and leave them at home, but I am the one who suffers as the wind will have the last word. I am better to accept what I cannot change.
- Even the smallest of things matter. Ever watch a line of ants? Furiously working, doing what seems like something insignificant to the bigger, universal picture? And yet how are we to ever know what impact their contribution to the universe truly is? We all matter. We all have the ability to contribute.
- Growth is part of a process. We live in a climate as to be able to truly appreciate the cycle that trees go through. By shedding their dead leaves, they set the stage for growth (and I dare say they do it beautifully, with the magnificent colours of fall). Our challenging times set up our time of growth.
- Flexibility is essential. A groundhog can set up a perfectly good lodging under your shed only to discover that hiding from the humans is a deterrant to full roaming freedom. When we are flexible in our thinking, we promote understanding and acceptance; two essential traits for growth.
- To just be. Everything in nature has a purpose and yet at the same time is free to exist in that purpose. Nature lets us know that it is okay to be true to ourselves.
Photo credit:https://unsplash.com/@wsanter
nature is consoling for sure