Make Nature Your Happy Place

This is a time when a lot of individuals have been afforded the time to try new things they may never have before. It is a time to experience things intensely at a high level, on a new scale. It is a time to get to know yourself better and to notice all that is around you and be thankful and grateful for that opportunity. Gratefulness is the precursor to joy and in that sense gratitude will allow you to feel simple joyfulness.

I am not rich and I don’t have anything extra to spend, but I have found that the Universe is free, very free. I have taken to walking nature trails in a mindful, ultra-conscious mode every day. The results have been astounding. I always take my camera phone along so that I can snap pictures of trees, flowers, animals, mountains, rocks, stones, clouds and the sky. I see everything with more clarity and intensity than I ever have.  I open my ears wider and listen to the natural sounds of birds and tousling branches, ducks in the pond, birds singing, the sound of tall grass blowing in the wind and so much more. I feel the wind on my face, the earth below my feet, the grass brushing on my legs, the feel of leaves on a tree. I enjoy and experience so much that the Universe has to offer. I have become an extension of these beautiful things that have always been there.

I have used the images, sounds, smells and feel of it to enrich my life.  I have diarized each day by writing about it; making sketches of it, listening to the orchestra of frogs and ducks in the night, smelling the fresh air following the rain and enjoying everything up close. I notice the veins and patterns on every leaf now, I notice the amount of petals it takes to makes a flower, I notice the touch and smell of a single blade of crab grass. Even that can be beautiful, depending on how you choose to experience it.

I write a lot of notes and emails to others and will often send them copies of my nature pics to illustrate and decorate my notes. I always get lovely replies back from people that were not expecting them. I find that this is a wonderful way to share these joyful experiences with others.

It increases joy, kindness and thoughtfulness when we can appreciate little things in an intense manner.  It is a very simple but meaningful concept to improve thinking, perception and promote the value of happiness, the importance of people and our Universe. That is one thing I would pack in my COVID-19 toolbox. It is free and yet it is rich with the wealth of the world. It says that you have the right to be happy and you have the right to be here. So why not take advantage of all that has always been there and all that has always been meant for you.

This blog post was submitted by a member of the Up Hub Peer Advisory Committee.