INSPIRATION/NATURE
Nature A gift
that keeps on giving
Oh, Lady we receive what we give, And in our life alone does Nature live ours is her wedding garment, ours her shroud
I love this line of Coleridge, from his “Dejection, an ode”, where he says that nature is just a reflection of our mood.
However, I am more of a Wordsworthian, as no matter how ‘pensive’ my mood is, nature, and even memory of its beauty, fills my heart with immense pleasure
And then my heart with pleasure fills and dances with the daffodils
Nature has always been my solace, taking me away from any worldly issues troubling me, from the time I can remember. I have lived in rural towns of Himachal Pradesh in India, a province at the foothills of the Himalayas, which is known as Dev Bhoomi, the land of gods, because of its natural beauty. It was an idyllic setting, where leading a simple pastoral life, I grew up respecting nature as divine*.
And this has carried over to my present days, as being outdoors, enjoying various elements of nature, whether it be the monsoon rains, or icy cold winds, hot sweltering days or moonlit nights, I have always felt at home.
The sunrise, or the sunset, wherever I happen to be, holds a great fascination for me. It is that time of the day when I feel closest to nature, and through it to that spirit, which permeates everything.
And I have been lucky too! As wherever I have lived, I have always been surrounded by the beauty of nature. I live very close to a few beautifully cultivated parks, and am not too far from the Blue Mountains, with majestic darkest green eucalyptus trees reaching to touch the bluest possible skies, or golden beaches, kissed by the bluest possible waters, and I have always made efforts to go there.
For any celebration, instead of going to a restaurant for dinner, I love going for a walk on the beach, or in the mountains. Even my friends, and of course my family know now, what I like to do on my special days, such as a birthday, or Mother’s Day, and what makes me happy.
A few years ago, when I was unwell and had to spend a few months recovering, a walk in the park near the hospital used to be my treat to myself. Looking at the trees, enjoying the beauty of flowers, plants, little grassy patches, the shimmering water in the river, ducks in the lake, and the birds, used to refresh me, filling me with hope and happiness.
And the best thing about nature is, that it is always new, always fresh, you can sit and watch the ocean for hours, and you will not be bored.
There may not be any pots of gold when you follow a rainbow, but nature is an endless treasure that never finishes. It is a gift that keeps on giving.
I read Dr. Fatima Imam’s article about nature, which dazzled me further about the grandeur and benevolence of nature, as such a gift.
In this article, she talks about rainbows,
as the interconnectedness of the colors-the blending one into another, creating one majestic spectacle for everyone to enjoy.
A few other writers have also written excellent pieces about nature, and I’d like to mention Wendi Gordon’s beautiful piece on double rainbows in Hawaii, and their myriad colours. The images she has used are stunning.
*And just as Djon Mundine OAM, an Australian Aboriginal artist finds “a vision of God … in the meditation on nature; the comings and goings of seasons, the rise and falls of tides, and the patterns formed by these natural forces”, I also felt the divinity of nature, filling me with awe and wonder. (Excerpt from my book).
Thanks, Dr. Preeti Singh for your inspiring piece about nature and rainbows, in which you invited us to contribute a piece on nature.
A Rainbow Brings Magic To Our Life | by Dr. Preeti Singh | Reciprocal | Aug, 2022 | Medium