“Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature’s peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop away from you like the leaves of Autumn.” ~ John Muir
Did you wake up feeling blah? Is life more like a dried banana chip than a plum? Chances are you are suffering from the modern ailment: technology alienation.
How d0 2-dimentional relationships compare to the REAL THING? Poorly, yet due to the ever present new device we are letting the former substitute for the latter. Casting votes or signing a petition on-line are convenient, but there is nothing like holding your own homemade placard and standing shoulder to shoulder with your “tribe” to grieve for freedom, justice, and quality of life. And its great to have such easy communication with friends and family but after a while don’t those short code messages leave you feeling tired?
Something as simple as taking your cup of coffee outside, to sit on your porch, or wander through the yard; try doing nothing but listening. Why you never knew there were bees in the bushes, or that pair of cardinals singing the brightest song…
Many scientists and psychologists have “proven” the health promoting elements of nature for humans; it is our origin. Environmentalists point out the invention that changed our relationship with nature: the flush toilet. People HAD to go outside before that invention; sitting on the hole in the moonlight, rain, and snowy snowy days…the odors of matter turning over below you, the pungent scent of earth and growing green things, a yellow moon, or a cool breeze – humans were more in touch with the seasons and the granular nature of living things. Videos, photos don’t get but a tiny % of the REAL THING.
Go get yourself an ice cream cone. Make it a double-header; sit outside and lap it up with someone you know or even a stranger. Just enjoy it to the fullest.
For me, the art of staying alive in a graying world makes me want to plant flowers, dig soil, climb a mountain and get those glad tidings from this amazing planet we call home.
Susan Feathers 