Abundant Future
Connecting to Nature is Fun
We ARE nature. So why not connect to ourselves, to other people, and to other species? It’s fun! And we can learn to coexist.
Hey girls and guys, do you realize we ARE nature? Mostly we think of nature as a walk in the park or a picnic down by the river. A hike in the mountains or camping in the woods.
Well, skip it!
We are nature and that means it’s all around us and in us as well. So we can connect to ourselves, nature, and everything else in one go! But why on earth would we wanna do that?
Why, why, why?
The big why is: just because nature is all there is. So if we want to build an abundant future together, we’d better try to make some effort to coexist. Our species is on the line.
It’s like the fable of the blind men and the elephant.
One man felt the trunk and said the object was round and hollow. Another felt a leg and said: hollow? You’re kidding! Another felt the skin and said it had many wrinkles and there was no end to it. The one who felt a tusk said it was smooth…
Our own little lives are just like that. We see just a little part, and only in our own perception. We work hard all week and go shopping in the mall to spend our money again. We drink a beer with some friends, have fun with our children, eat some yummy food and go to sleep.
Oops, another day has gone by…
Are we asleep or what? No, we just don’t see the bigger picture.
If we would zoom out and see the bigger picture, we would see a world in chaos. And my, how far we’ve drifted from the basic rules that govern our planet: the laws of nature.
This planet is our home.
The only home we have.
Why destroy her when we can coexist?
Nature Connection is Easy
And the good news is: connecting to nature is easy, it’s fun and we might learn something about ourselves we didn’t know yet.
Some ideas:
1. Water
We are water. In ‘Science for a changing world’ you can read that up to 60% of the human body is water.
Well, that brings opportunities!
Where there’s water, we can connect to nature. The local, city fountain. The river. The sea. Jump in! Or if you’re not that brave, put your hand in. Your feet in. Feel the texture. Feel the flow.
Play with it!
You’ll notice your body will recognize the water.
2. Breath
Air is the closest connection to nature we can get. Breathe deeply. Do you feel the air flow through your lungs? One more then!
Breath is a great relaxer when you calmly breathe in and then long and luxuriously breathe out. It can be a vibrant energy-giver when you breathe in through your mouth and repeat the breaths in a strong rhythm.
When you feel dizziness, just breathe more slowly through your nose and you’ll feel your body relax again.
Int his article I explain some more about anxiety and breath. And give some examples of breath exercises available to people who want to become clever with their breath.
“I never knew breathing could heal so much. I already breathed for more than forty years, before I learned about its importance.”
3. Birdsong
Birds are great bringers of awareness. And next time you’re out and about really try to notice them. They’re everywhere!
Once, someone said to me: “There are no birds here. I don’t hear them. Really, they’re just not here.”
I told him to go to the same spot every day at different times and be still. Be aware. Just listen. He did. And he never found one moment that they were not there. He just hadn’t been listening before.
Too busy with the thoughts in his head…
4. Hide and Seek
One more for the children then. They love to play hide and seek. So, next time, play it with them in a natural environment. Cover yourself with some leaves and be very surprised when they find you.
When it’s their turn, they’ll follow your example and not be afraid to sit still surrounded by little insects and soil. It’ll give them their first steps into connecting with nature.
And they won’t ever suffer from nature deficit disorder.
With older children, you can take a net, and go catch life in the local pond. A phone search will tell you what it is you caught. Telling them fantastic stories, or better still, motivating them to make up their own stories, will do the rest.
Nature is awesome. We are awesome. We’re one. And one bush in your neighborhood can be enough to get to know the bird that has her territory there or the moss that grows on the wall next to the bush.
Happy exploring!
If you want to connect, you can find me on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, or my website. Or somewhere in nature telling stories to the grandchildren…
Thank you, Mike, for adding your wise energy to my words on nature.
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