Nature/Joy/Spirituality

The Spirit of Nature in my City and Neighbourhood

In response to Writing Prompt 30 of 52 of DEP: My Favourite Thing in Nature Where I Live?

My neighbourhood in London is a quiet one in the evenings, when everyone has returned home after work and school. The last few cars return late evening and night. A hush falls over the neighbourhood. In the darkness, you can see that shadows begin to move near the bins. There are cats, foxes and rats foraging for food. In the morning you find garbage can overturned and plastic bags of waste torn by hungry critters of the night, who are now asleep with their bellies filled. There is a cat walking silently on a fence, returning back home after visiting his friend across the street or after having a meal kept out for him, by those friendly neighbours.

At dawn breaks, the sound of the birds flying is in the air, there are seagulls flying making a noise, and there are pigeons warbling as they prepare for another wonderful day. The trees come alive with all the birds that call it their home. The foxes can be seen running across lanes and streets, to hide away from the humans who are now getting up and going to work and school after their deep slumber. There are still trees in the neighbourhood and patches of green spaces and large parks, where animals can find refuge away from human civilization. Though the number of green areas has reduced drastically over the years, in the city of London and in the neighbourhoods around.

In the afternoon, there are flocks of parrots and parakeets that come out to squawk and complain about everything under the sun, from their beliefs, their hopes, their dreams, the politics, and everything that is wrong in the world. Our green-feathered friends are always gossiping and complaining and never seem to stop to rest their throats.

There are other birds who also come out to make their presence felt in my city and neighbourhood, they are the sparrow, the blue tit, the magpie, the robin, the blackbird and the raven. Whenever I look at the parrots and the parakeets, it brings back a fond memory of me, opening the cage of a parrot when had at home and letting him fly away, when I was about five years old. That is a happy memory, I want all birds to fly free in the world.

There are days when I see dreadful sights of animals like pigeons, cats, and crows killed on the streets, either by cars or people with vicious tendencies. That makes me sad and then I remember that there is a Spirit of Nature that lives in every city, neighbourhood and country in the world.

The invisible, yet powerful Spirit of Nature in every neighbourhood, keeps the balance in nature and between humanity and nature. It protects, it feeds, it nourishes, it encourages growth and it helps every animal to survive. There are times when I see small birds huddling in the cold of winter, all together they huddle to keep warm. I see the cats sitting on windows-sills as they watch people going to work and children reluctantly being pulled to school by their parents.

The Spirit of Nature can be cruel, it can be kind, it can be forgiving and it is about survival, the hunter becomes hunted, and one is food for another. That is the way of the jungle, that is the way of nature in the wild and in every city and neighbourhood in the world. Yet, even when there seems darkness and danger in nature, there is also so much beauty especially with the blossoms on trees, the fresh green leaves that herald the coming of spring.

Even in the coldest and harshest of winters in Europe that is still beauty to be observed in nature. I love observing nature and knowing that I am also a part of it. We are all children of nature, we are all here to keep that delicate balance of love, respect, and service to nature in our lives.

Thank you Dr. Preeti Singh for this wonderful writing prompt, “My Favourite Thing in Nature Where I Live?”

Read about Dr. Gabriella Korosi who is now on her exciting Vision Quest.