Learning to Live Week 6: Drawing Strength from Nature
Nature is important because she helps keep you grounded when you connect with her. You feel at peace. You also feel protected and within her sounds—the whoosh of the wind, the tinkling of a stream, the drip of the rain—you hear the universe whisper to you.
If you have ever had a bad experience with nature, you may not have such a loving relationship with it. Perhaps you were the victim of a storm or earthquake. Maybe you were tormented by poison ivy or stung by a bee. Maybe you even got lost in the woods. Please know that Mother Nature was not out to get you, and your love of nature can come back if you allow it. Remember when you were a child playing in a sandbox, your parent's garden or a neighbor's yard. Perhaps you swam at the local swimming hole in the heat of summer, splashed in waves at the beach, climbed trees or played hide-and-seek in a vacant lot. Children love to be in nature because they intuitively know and understand that being outside makes them feel more playful. It feels magical, it feels free and it's rejuvenating. As an adult, you still need to have these feelings in your life in order to be fully balanced. Depending on where you live, the landscape of nature will vary, but one thing is constant no matter where you go—the peace and beauty of nature.
Try Madisyn's forest meditation
Sometimes getting outside is at the bottom of your to-do list when it should be near the top. You may think going to your child's soccer game is being out in nature, and, in fact, it is better than being inside. But I want you to spend time in nature and really be with nature. Take time to sit and be quiet, to notice, to gaze, to reflect, to feel.
Over time, when you really start to connect with the earth, you will begin to shift your thinking to a view that's more respectful of what is around you. Perhaps you will rethink the way you garden and decide to do away with harmful chemicals in your yard, or maybe you will think twice before hacking away at shrubbery or cutting a tree. As you become more in tune with what nature has to offer, you will intuitively want to start working with nature rather than imposing your will upon her.
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