The Simple Brilliance of Stepping Outside

Feeling the acceleration of time… Desperately wanting to slow down the pace… Wanting to press reset …. I stepped outside….

Having taken a much needed sojourn to reconnect with myself and my love in Nice and Italy this past summer, I admit reintegrating into my “normal” work life has been a bit of a challenge. Suddenly sitting at my computer all day feels foreign. My body longs for movement; my mind drifts to memories of all the lovely things I saw and did. Travel gave me the gift of remembering that there’s more to life than my glowing computer screen.

In the spirit of finding adventure closer to home, I asked a small group of women to join me at a local park to spend some time connecting with nature. What we experienced was similar to my travels, it was through nature that we rediscovered ourselves.

It was a simple affair. We brought blankets to sit on and pastries to share. The one requirement was a willingness to be still and listen to what nature wanted to reveal to us. We took some time to observe the trees, notice the colors of the foliage, touch the various textures.

One of us found some berries and said, “This is us. This is our cycle of life with the new berries and the old ones, and those few still red in color, full of life – we are still in that time of our lives.”

One of us observed a Maple tree pod which had bloomed and spread its seeds into the wind.  She saw possibilities of life continuing and of trees growing all around. She suggested I make earrings or a ring of this design.

I noticed the bark on a tree and then came a flood of questions. I was curious: How long had the tree been standing there? Why was it darker in some places than others? What had it endured?  Were its scars and scratches made by nature or man made? Who had carved their initials in it? The texture and shadows at times looked like just like human faces.

Not only was I inspired by being outdoors, I was also moved by the women who came and how they observed nature and reflected back their own experiences.

It was a grounding morning as we sat on the grass under the trees. A simple act can yield so much abundance. I invite you to get outside and try it for yourself. Nature is always waiting.