Anyone who knows me knows that I love to spend time in nature. It’s not just that I love it. It feels like time in nature is actually very necessary for my well-being. If there is too long a stretch between visits to wooded areas, I get edgy.
I had a fair bit going on last week, so I made a point of stopping to walk in Confederation Park on my way home. Even tho it seemed like there was more to do than I had time for, I knew that taking a nature break would make me more productive in the end. It was fascinating to watch myself alternately appreciating my nature setting – the sounds of chickadees, the sight of buds coming out on the trees, a bit of water beginning to run in the creek from under patches of snow and ice – and thinking about what I had to do when I got back to my home office!
In one of my moments of being present to the nature around me, rather than paying attention to my thoughts, I sensed that I should hug a big tree in front of me. I looked around at the other trees nearby, but nope! It was this specific tree. I walked over, wrapped my arms around the trunk and breathed deeply. It didn’t take long before I heard in my mind, “Relax. Take it easy. The world will carry on whether you contribute to it or not. So only contribute in ways that make you joyful!”
Wow. That was profound wisdom. I felt lighter after hearing that message. I stood there in appreciation for a few minutes and happily left the wooded area to head home, feeling like I’d gotten the grounding and centering I’d come to the park for.
Have you ever had a profound moment in nature? Care to share with us? You can write to info@shindao.com We’d love to publish readers’ stories in our next issue of Heart and Mind Matters.
P.s. Connect with Nature is the first tenet of the Shin Dao. To see the full list of these guiding principles visit https://shindao.com/philosophy/
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