Spring

Today, I think I will immerse myself in nature.  I am reading a book called, The Nature Principle: Human Restoration and the end of Nature-Deficit Disorder by Richard Louv.  It was chance that I went through the library's e-reader books and discovered it.  I know that I have to be connected to nature to flourish.  It is something that I have discovered about myself many years ago.

I remember times when I would go to my grandparent's house in Green Valley, CA and walk amid the trees and feel completely at ease.  I loved the trees there.  I'd spend hours in the dried up creek across the street from their house and marvel at how large those red ants were in comparison to the tiny little black ants back in Canoga Park.  (Those little suckers packed a mean bite too!)  That place is a little slice of heaven in an urban sprawl.  Waking up in the morning and hearing the birds chirping outside my window was amazing!  Going to sleep in the summer and hearing the crickets chirping and the frogs croaking was the nicest lullaby.

My best friend (whom for privacy's sake we'll name as Lily), introduced me to this hiking trail in Porter Ranch.  It was a little place I could retreat to from the rush hours of urban life (which seemed to be all day).  I had never known there to be a creek in the valley, but there it was.  I used to pause and listen to the sound.  I love the sound of running water.  It always brought back the days of camping at Tufts Campground near Bishop.  Those trips were something else and probably the best experience any child could have!

Now I live in Ohio.  There is a plethora of nature here that is quite different from California.  The woods...oh how I adore the woods here!  It was nice to know that I didn't have to drive 5 or 6 hours to get to the woods.  (Don't think that I didn't appreciate the oak forests, but there's something to be said about walking through the woods and not having prickly dry, dead leaves stick to your socks, get into your shoes or scratch up your ankles!)  The birds...I can hear that sound every morning just like at my grandparent's house.  It evokes a wonderful feeling that I cannot describe, but I can say that I feel as if my grandparents are here with me.

Yesterday, I went for a walk in the woods and I collected wildflowers to create a beautiful flower arrangement for my home.  This was a new experience for me.  One that I would do again.  There is something to be said about picking flowers.  Perhaps I felt like our ancestors who would go and pick flowers for recreation, and respected Nature for her gifts.

Spring begins.  The world begins anew.  Perhaps it's time to turn over a new leaf and observe, respect and immerse ourselves in our world and disconnect ourselves for a little while from the wires of technology and the hustle and bustle of busy human life to appreciate our multispecies community.

Simple little things

We're often so busy with the things we have to do that we forget about the simple little pleasures in life. 

I think that's part of the reason I moved to Ohio.  Life slows down out here more so in the city of Los Angeles.  I can stop and smell the flowers more readily here.  I have noticed that the trees are budding and each day they continue just a tiny bit more.  How many people actually notice them?  How many of the simple little things are we missing each day? 

Yesterday, I opened the windows to my apartment and let the stale winter air out and let some fresh winter/spring air in.  I watched the sheer curtains as they flowed ethereally with the breeze.  It was quite amazing, really.  I didn't spend my whole night doing that, but just a moment.  Then there was the soft delicate flickering of my candles.  The flames are so rhythmic and entrancing when you really take the time to observe them. 

When I take a moment to be present in the moment and enjoy life's simple pleasures, I feel happy and content despite the other things that may be going on in my life.

Precious Time

Sometimes it's prudent to take a moment for yourself.  I discovered that.  Through the manic hustle and bustle of a preschool classroom, I found little moments that I took for what they were--gems among the tumultuous sea.  It's the simple things after all that satisfy our vital needs.  What are your vital needs?  Most people probably don't have a clue as to what they could be.  They're often too busy to even sit down and think of what it is that they need.  That is what it means to take a moment for yourself. 

So, there I was today on my lunch break.  I was faced with the opportunity to sit in the staff lounge and recline for a little, or I could go out and enjoy the warmth that the sunshine brought.  I chose to walk in the woods, knowing that it would help to meet a few of my vital needs.  A simple walk in the woods helped me meet at least 3 of them.  I can tell you, that no matter what happened the rest of the day, I was settled.  I walked in the bright sunshine surrounded by the beauty of nature that was slowly bursting into life!  I took a moment and sat on a log that created a bridge over the creek.  My fingertips studied the texture of the rough bark.  I took my shoes off and placed my feet into the frigid waters.  It was so amazing!  A simple moment, all for me.  I love myself!