Connection with Nature

“I went to the woods to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.” - Henry David Thoreau, Walden. 

Our friend Henry David Thoreau literally moved to the woods to confront his life. Most of us aren’t going to take such an extreme step - although I must admit - sometimes the idea sounds appealing.

Nonetheless - what would happen if the vast majority of humans on this planet thought of nature as our lover? 

You know how when you fall in love with someone, you want the best for them, you care about them, and you care about their well-being?

If most of us had any inkling that nature is indeed our lover - we’d care about her more. 

We’d care because we’d know - first hand - how nature cares for us. 

Without her - we’d be in a sorry state of affairs. Not only is nature the ultimate doctor - but once more of us begin to truly connect with the healing powers of nature, we’ll care how we treat her…care about political plans to trash nature in the name of more “progress,” and care about nature as if she were our home and best friend, which she is. 

I discovered a great book that shows how nature takes care of us. It’s called Nature Fix, by Florence Williams. 

Nature, she reminds us, isn’t a luxury. It’s nourishment. When we spend time among trees, water, and sky, we reconnect to a rhythm that’s steady, generous, and alive. This is one of the simplest - and most powerful - ways to rebuild our energy and return to balance. 

Ms. Williams travels the world exploring how time outdoors affects our brains and bodies. She visits Forest Bathing guides in Japan, neuroscientists in Finland, and wilderness researchers in the U.S., all showing in different ways that nature lowers stress, lifts our mood, and restores our focus and creativity.

We can start right now - aligning with nature for our own health. We can avoid sprays and pesticides on our food (eat organic). We can care what we bring into our homes, such as checking for harmful products with Teflon and products with “forever chemicals.” There are many ways we can care for ourselves and nature as a team. It’s simply a matter of raising our awareness and taking baby steps. 

PS - if you want a wake-up call about “forever chemicals,” read the book, “Exposure: Poisoned Water, Corporate Greed and One Lawyer’s Twenty Year Battle Against DuPont,” by Robert Bilott