The blank page of the new year is here. A time like any other, but with an infused fresh-start feeling.
What are you setting your sights on? If your mind is roaming to the usual suspects, might we offer a less common consideration for one of your resolutions: to develop a living relationship with nature.
If you’re fortunate enough to live on the Upper Sunshine Coast of BC, you are enveloped in forests and mountains, and continuously graced with ocean sunsets and eagles soaring overhead. Yet even in the most pristine settings, we can get glued to screens and disconnected from the life and beauty abundantly available.
Without a connection to the natural world, we lose so much more than we gain during our distractions from it. How are we to appreciate water without spending time near a river watching it aerate in eddies, or wood without wandering through the cedars as they reveal their ability to bend in the winds? How are we to learn that nature doesn’t create waste, if not by observing bark being broken down by mycelia?
Everything we have and need comes from the earth: clear water, nourishing food, energy for warmth and materials for shelter. Any steps we can take to deepen our appreciation for these life-giving provisions weave us into the tapestry of the planet. In so doing, her life and ours become more obviously tied, although it has always been the case that our wellness and that of the earth are inextricably linked.
Spending time in nature is our nature. Remember the days of your youth, when even the most delicious meal couldn’t pull you in from your outdoor explorations, or how incredible you feel after swimming in a lake or pulling a carrot you planted from the ground.
Committing to more time in nature is also more than likely to get us on track toward our other resolutions. The outdoors is a giant playground that gets us moving without even thinking too much about the fact that it’s good for us.
Even the challenges to our body are often welcomed in their natural building of immune systems and physical strength. Our mood improves the moment we connect more with the natural world’s beauty, too.
While this may not be the time of year to plant seeds in the garden, it can be a great time to plan it out, order seeds, get supplies together for raised beds or a new backyard compost setup, or learn which trees to plant come spring thaw. You might even simply connect with the soil by picking up a book to learn more about its inhabitants.
If you insist on couch time on the colder days, find inspiration with a documentary film highlighting the power and vulnerability of the earth. WaterBear (waterbear.com) is a great free resource with films of all lengths that celebrate the fact that our resiliency and that of the planet are connected.
May this year gift you with time in nature. It will inevitably gift you back.
Let’s Talk Trash is qathet Regional District’s waste reduction education program. For more information, email [email protected].
