Category: Uncategorized

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Stress

“Mass Shooting in Las Vegas: 58 Dead and over 500 Wounded”

“15-Story Crane Topples Into Manhattan Street”

“Government Threatens Shutdown Unless Conditions Are Met”

“Health Care Battle In Congress Resumes with 2 Opposing Plans”

We are greeting each morning with headlines like these, or more concerning, depending on our differing viewpoints on what we feel is the root cause of each situation.  Long before the Internet claimed the top spot for information dissemination, radio and television lured us to listen or watch, as we were fed the details of the heinous events, either escalating our distress, or easing our concern as we learned  more of what had occurred that day.  An entire generation grew up watching the film clips of what had happened in Vietnam that day, often while eating dinner with the family, slowly becoming desensitized to the atrocities committed in this conflict taking place half-way around the world.  Only when the military returned to the US did the real toll of what had happened there begin to creep into our collective conscious.

How does this affect us?  I’ve noticed a consistent stress level, and an edge to most of us, as we go to work, shop for food, and go about our lives, that quickly activates our ‘fight-or-flight’ mechanism, and we defend or avoid quickly.  That ‘fight-or-flight’ instinct is so deeply ingrained at the core of who we are as humans, due to the fact that at one time, it meant the difference between eating dinner and being dinner, and thus our survival. So ignoring it is really not an option.  What if, though, we chose  NOT to jump on social media, our favorite news app, or turn on the radio or TV?  Would we still stay informed?  Perhaps with less frequent ‘updates’ on what’s going on in the world, we might pay closer attention to smaller, but important things that seem to fade into the background in the face of the World-Altering Events we learn about on our smartphones, and actually notice the little things that used to make us smile, even if only for a brief moment. Children seeing things for the very first time. Birds reappearing each Spring. The painting on the wall you bought how-many-years ago on that impromptu vacation to the beach. Tiny, almost insignificant things that excited you so much at one time, that have become part and parcel of your existence, and you’ve ceased to see them in the same way.

A favorite line from a Zac Brown song goes, ‘Keep your heart above your head, and your eyes wide open…’ and it’s pointed me to that simpler way I used to live, before….  What really gives me pleasure?  Is it the new car or sport coat? Sure, those are nice things, but a beautiful morning where I can have my coffee outside, or a conversation with my family or an old friend stays with me, whereas the newness of ‘things’ wears off pretty quickly.  So, here’s the game-changer:  what makes you excited, giddy, and maybe a little nervous with anticipation, and how can you bring that back into your life?

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Finding Love in Disagreement

We are often told to seek love, especially with those with whom we disagree: socially, politically, religiously, and in so many other ways. But do we? Really? Or do we internally ‘agree to disagree’ with no conversation or discussion with people who hold different views. It’s a bit of an easy way out of the situation. Currently, this country is very divided politically, with both sides ranting and raving about the other and what is being done in the ‘name of the people.’ And taking our stand, on whichever side it may rest, screaming and demonstrating against those with whom you disagree is the easy way out. But to go to the words of the prophets, from Jesus to Buddha to Mohammed to any number of others, we need to find common ground. Ways to agree about things. Something. Anything. Because it unites us in seeking the common good for many; not just our own agenda.

What does that mean, though? The Common Good. Capital ‘C’ and capital ‘G.’ Is this an undefined term we need to struggle with, or is it simpler than that? My own inclination is that it’s pretty simple. The ‘Common Good’ is the path, the plan, the thing, that produces the best results for the most people. Yet, truly, we don’t often seek this. We seek our own desires, our own plans, our own thoughts, because they are going to produce the best results for us, and move us forward. And though this blog, and this blog post specifically, are about ‘finding the better way,’ we are all humans, and we seek the easier path, especially when the going gets really tough.

Recently, this has become clear to me. In a job I’m not particularly thrilled to do, but working with the best work team ever, I realized why I am here. Besides the platitudes that pulled me in this direction, I see a higher purpose for me being exactly where I am: to learn. To emphasize. TO. LEARN. Largely about myself. And about my capacity to adapt to a pretty foreign environment and learn what this place, these people, and how they live, is all about so we are able to communicate. By communicate, I mean in a real way, not a perfunctory way in which needs get fulfilled, but in a deeper way in which we learn about each other: how someone ‘different’ communicates, or jokes, or describes things. In life, we have friends who are very much like us, in terms of thought processes, education, interests, and so forth, and we become comfortable with them. While we need this as humans, we also need to constantly seek out the ‘uncomfortable’; that which we do not know in any way, and it makes us uneasy, and we then yearn for the familiar. 

While the ‘familiar’ is good for us in one way, we do not grow from it: we grow from facing and learning to deal with the unfamiliar, the uncomfortable. Unpleasant as it can be sometimes. But when we accept the fact that the current situation is about learning to be more flexible, more versatile, more open, than we thought we could, and we begin to look at the challenge in front of us as a stepping-stone to a higher level of consciousness, a higher level of life, our former ‘challenge’ becomes exhilarating, and we become engaged in a way as never before. What is before us may be mundane on a certain level, but with the knowledge that it is changing us, and changing how we think for the better, each day we face it, we grow stronger, and more open to finding ‘common ground,’ and new ways to communicate with people we would never have had the chance to know before, and to learn things that would have remained forever unknown…

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The Anger That Drives Us

Anger. Even the word itself promises what it mean, with its hard consonants and short syllables. Right now, there is a lot of anger in the world. People are angry at other people, nations are angry with one another, neighbors don’t speak, and any sort of discourse that might be a way through anger is not happening. So people are walking around harboring anger that can manifest in an instant. In a fairly quiet situation, all of a sudden voices are raised, threats are made, and the separate peace with all try to keep is broken.

I am guilty of this, as are you. When I even think of something that upsets, or angers me, I can feel my breath shorten and my heart begin to beat faster. This can happen when I’m out in public, or when I’m alone…just by thinking of something I fear. Because that is the root of all anger: fear. When we are afraid, our primitive brain goes into survival mode and we react in ways we have been conditioned to know will protect us from annihilation. While ‘annihilation’ might seem like a strong word these days in most places in the world, understand that our primitive brain sees ALL threats with this ending possibility, and reacts accordingly to protect us from the threat, however primitive—barking dog running toward us—or sophisticated—fear of losing your job and not being able to support your family—and it goes quickly into preservation mode to negate the threat in front of us. Fear is an interesting thing to experience, and most people vividly remember something that really scared them, long after the experience passed.

How can we deal with this anger/fear better? There have been tomes written on this very subject, and offering another ‘solution’ hardly seems to have value. Facing your fears in ways like journaling or support groups works for some, but however we choose to face these obstacles, we need to do it when not directly facing said fear. Sort of like practicing your favorite sport before walking onto the playing field. The practice, and of being able to slow down your thoughts and actions enable you to begin reacting more consistently and calmly when your competitors endeavor to win the game. Free-writing, and emptying my mind on a particular subject is one of the ways I’ve found useful in learning what triggers old behavior patterns, knee-jerk reactions, and allows me to approach them to learn why they frighten me, without having to do something immediately. I’ve been able to see little things, as you do when you slow down your golf swing, for example, to find your movement has not been as consistent as you thought. With psychological fears, though, the ‘little movements’ can be very tiny things—a careless word, a glare—that helped form your remembrance of particular events that contributed to your fear of meeting new people, or public speaking, for example. Annihilation is truly a strong word for this sort of thing, but the physical reaction, the shortened breath, the beating heart, all communicate that this is truly how you are feeling. As such, these fears are to be taken seriously and not dismissed as silly, or inconsequential, as we have been told sometimes.

And self-knowledge may not be the key to paradise, it can help us come nearer to it.

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Declarations

Declarations are defining. Of a country, of a situation, of a person. The courage to make a declaration, on whatever scale, is great, because outside attention is now focused on the progression of the idea stated. The Declaration of Independence in the United States is a great, widely known example of this; a treasonous document at its time in breaking with England. Martin Luther’s Ninety-Five Theses was another, in its rejection of the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church. The Revolutionary War followed the Declaration of Independence, as England fought to hold on to its Western territories, and the rise of what became known as Lutheranism followed the Ninety-five Theses. In each case, old ideas, old ways of teaching or governing, old societal ways, were challenged, asking for, and ultimately presenting a new, better way than had been in place. Personal declarations are also courageous, stating that someone is no longer going to be tied to a specific way of living, but has decided to reach higher and further to make themselves a better person, and to live a better life. New Year’s Resolutions are among the most famous and wide-spread of this type of declaration: the diet, the exercise program, finishing that degree, and so many others. And shortly after New Year’s Day, a mad rush to change things occurs, and slows, and is often abandoned without truly reaching the change said to be desired.

What happened to these personal declarations? While made with good intent, there was no blueprint, no plan, no accountability, and willpower lasts only so long before people begin to ‘justify’ not following their plan for change, and slowly slip back into their old ways. It’s why the best of programs, those designed to really help people make lasting changes, build in a plan, with accountability, to help people make those changes, to keep them from quitting when willpower is weak, or non-existent, and to go on and make changes that ultimately make a difference in how they live their lives. In school, there is a plan. A teacher or professor is hired to teach composition, for example. Because students will have varied experience with composition, the lessons build on a simple beginning, growing more complex as the assignments are given, graded, and the teacher begins seeing how individuals need guidance in different ways, and is then able to create an individual plan for each student to reach a specific level of competence by the end of the course. In that very structured environment, most students will improve by the end of the course. Some will excel, and others will write better as a result of the coursework. Of course, the plan is in place with the structure of the course, the accountability is built in with the assignments and corrections, resulting in an easy to follow track. These same sorts of milestones are also built in to the best programs dealing with addictions—drugs, alcohol, sex, etc.—because as humans, we tend to gravitate toward past behavior that ‘rewards’ us in some way, whether that way be positive—life improvement—or negative—addictions to substance or behavior—and we quickly fall back into them without help.

Declarations are made with people, not just a person, in mind. People are needed to help push a declaration forward, in making plans to begin its ascent, and to shepherd its growth to maturation. Not just one person. People. And pluralities are more powerful than many expect. Ergo their power. Even when not organized into a cohesive force, people who believe in something are powerful when the faith in their belief is harnessed, and used for good. To advance education, for example, for ALL! Or to provide health care for ALL. All things that build bridges between humans, not to mention tear down walls between them. Because we all make declarations, whether or not we keep them, push them forward, or let them slide, because we know, deep inside, it is the right way to evolve as humans, rising ever higher, and creating a way for others to rise as well.

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Finally…Moving the Needle

Photo: mpaiav/Pixabay

Finally moving toward what you alway thought ‘you should be doing’ and seeing the first little signs that things are going the direction you wanted them to go is one of the most exhilarating feelings on the planet. What is it that has lived in your mind, in your fantasies, in your ‘dream come true’ file, as being the thing you were born to do, but somehow hadn’t managed to get there? Writing a novel? Being an actor? Finishing that degree? We all have things like this that we feel so passionate about, especially when we are young and see the world as full of endless possibility, and we sometimes act on them, learning new skills, getting in shape, practicing the scales, and putting effort into becoming better at them. As we grow older, and begin to face the failures that life needs us to experience, not simply to fail for failure’s sake, but to learn that a particular way of doing something may not be the best way for us to do it. Then pivoting and finding another way to do something.  While some have dreamed of a life as a concert pianist, and through hard work, bring their skill levels to their highest personal level, only to realize at some point that while they are exceptionally good, their skill may not take them to a higher level, allowing them to be the concert pianist they dreamed of being. A version of the old saying of ‘all dressed up with nowhere to go,’ comes to mind. What now? Perhaps the discipline learned at the keyboard, along with their love of the music itself can still be a large part of their life, but in a different way. A very famous actor, with many awards for his acting was in this exact situation, realizing that his skill were not going to take him to the world’s stages as a pianist, so he pivoted to acting, throwing himself into learning from the best, using the discipline he had developed as a musician in a new field, and becoming one of the best there. And he still plays the piano and enjoys being able to play some of the most phenomenal compositions written.

While the above story about the pianist-turned-actor is wonderful to hear, what did it actually take to make that turn, and face an uncertain future in a new field? In this, there are feeling of loss, thoughts of wrong choices, perhaps overestimating what was possible, but facing the need to change how we are doing things, and taking action to make our lives better. As with all loss, there needs to be grieving for the loss: the loss of a dream we once pursued. A dream we needed to pursue, because it gave us new tools, focus, and the ability to communicate in a particular way, and most of all, the confidence that we can become very skilled at one thing, but through life-circumstances, realize we need to let go of the result we were seeking in the first place. In the case of the pianist, he developed his skill to the top of his ability, and kept the confidence that becoming extremely good at something brings with it. While realizing that making a living as a pianist was not to be his future, he was able to more quickly pivot to another way of entertaining people with his physical skills, this time as other characters. We are all able to do this by remembering the times we accomplished something difficult, and we enjoyed the journey to its accomplishment, as opposed to focusing on the end goal, and taking that into each situation life presents us. Whether it is a new job, needing to learn something quickly to keep pace with life—new parents know this well!—or doing something for the simple pleasure it brings to us is the path we can follow. 

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If You Want to Change Your Life, Change Your Mouth…

Our days tend to be filled with talking.  Meetings, phone calls, socializing, and we all have our favorite subjects—both negative and positive—that we discuss, ponder, praise, and complain about, all while speaking to others, or sometimes only to ourselves. As children, we hear, ‘Sticks and Stones will break my Bones, but words will never hurt me….’ But is that really true? How many of us have been undone, for days or week sometimes, by careless words we’ve overheard, and take them for the truth? Pretty much all of us. And while the source of these words—girlfriend, teacher, boss—may matter in how we process them, they do matter. And they can hurt. While it’s interesting to overhear compliments about the recent project we successfully navigated at work, the play we just directed, for some reason, we don’t take these to heart quite as much as we do the negative comments. But what about the comments and the conversation that goes on in small ways: a remark to a co-worker, a thought while driving to work, a gripe about something that just happened. What about those? Most of us tend to dismiss them as harmless, as something that doesn’t even enter our consciousness, but as simple little throw-away words or phrases.

But they are not.

In any way.

There is an old folk belief that when something is vocalized, it is. That is, by vocalizing, speaking of something, we bring it to being. It becomes something of its own, and begins a life of its own. And, at that point, we, as humans, become the conjurer, the wizard, who has brought this thought, idea, or invention to life, but cannot control its path or its destiny. While a bit like Dr. Frankenstein in Mary Shelley’s novel, in that we’ve created a new life form, cobbled from bits and pieces of our life, usually negative, what we have really created is a ‘being’ of negative energy that feeds on every thought, every nuance, and every situation in our life. Why do I know this? Because when you reverse the equation, of NOT speaking in negative ways about your co-workers, the project at hand, the disgruntled clients, something truly magical happens. When what comes out of your mouth—even to yourself—is intentionally NOT NEGATIVE, an unusual thing begins to happen: you begin to see the situation at hand FOR WHAT IT IS, not what you think of it. That realization alone begins to show you that this is not something sent by the gods to irritate you, or your day, but simply something that occurred that must now be addressed.  And yes, THAT can be annoying.  Because we all have expectations.

If we cling to those expectations, and begin to parse what went wrong, we end up in blame, or cursing, but to do so only allows those inclinations to grow. We then have conversations or arguments in our heads with others who are not present, saying things we would probably never say to another human being, and, if present to our bodies, begin to feel the shortness of breath, the tightening of the chest, the fight-or-flight instinct growing, and for what? A ‘conversation’ that will never take place, have any effect, or influence any outcome, yet leave us exhausted with the symptoms of heart disease.

What if…. What if we decided, instead of going into battle stance, to look at what we can and cannot control, let go of that which we cannot control, and simply accept the current situation for what it is. And then manoeuvre as best we can, given what we know, and our ability to change things for the better? And not complain or speak of what we can’t influence? And NOT speak of those things, so as not to ‘give them life’ and bring them into being?  And isn’t that what life is?

I’ve found the tenets of this essay to be invaluable to my own life, and I challenge you all to adopt some form of them in yours. When challenged, really think: can I change/influence this? Or is this beyond my control? If so, can I simply let it go? And when tempted, can I release something that angered or challenged me? And if I doubt the above, can I try to do so, just to see what might happen?

In the above questions and situations, I’m always challenging myself to be better, to rise above the situation, and to do the right thing. And yes, I fail. But, it’s okay. Because I’ve learned something about me that might need work, but I’ve found a new path to pursue….

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Simplify

The simplification of anything is always sensational.

                —G. K. Chesterton

Simple. Simplify. Simplification. Simplicity. A single English word so packed with hidden meaning in its various forms. Yet, to act upon it is to face yourself, your most simple, uncomplicated self. Because as we know, life is not necessarily simple. We look back into the past, when life was obviously less complex, in the way we know life now. There were no cell phones demanding our attention, our response to each little request, nor could we, as humans, be reached or contacted as easily as we can now. It sounds wonderful, doesn’t it? And perhaps it was. A deeper look into those past times, however, reveals incurable sickness, of wellness we take for granted now. Or really, how many of us would give up the ease, formerly a luxury, of flying off to a wonderful vacation, or to visit distant family members? Not many, would be my guess. There are thousands of articles written about simplifying your life, encouraging everything from daily or weekly routines to help organize your time, to courses promising to deliver an easier existence, with more time for your family, your hobby, your pet project. We read them, we sign up for the courses, we do the work, and it works out for us, or it doesn’t, but there always seems to be yet another thing ‘disrupting’ our lives, and causing us stress.

Think now to visions of calm, peace, serenity, and rest. What do these images depict? Usually soothing places, activities, events, and the like. An observation of mine is that these images, either in our heads or as a photograph in front of us, show us a world bereft of human beings. There may be one or two people in these images, but many are largely of nature: beautiful beaches, inspiring mountain ranges, a windswept desert, cascading waterfalls. These are the things that calm us, give us a respite from the whirl of daily life, and many seek these environments for that purpose. Life, however, is non-stop, and these times away in these beautiful places, if you’re able, are invaluable to our well-being. But what about the rest of your life? How do you find peace and tranquility there, of the sort spending a week in the mountains might give? To me, this begs the question of what have you created in your life that demands your attention, yet really doesn’t feed you in a way that is particularly healthy? In my case, as an inveterate reader, I have stacks of books, magazines, things saved on my smartphone to be read. One day. Someday. Perhaps when I’m sitting on that empty beach or the front porch of a mountain retreat. But not likely, as those mini escapes don’t happen with the regularity needed to clear your head. 

So, what do I do, you might ask? In my case, I go back to basics. For me, that means journaling every morning, clearing my head of stray thoughts, and beginning the day with a clean slate and a calm mind. I’ve done this for approximately twenty-five years at this time, and when I’m pulled in other direction by work, life, family, I physically feel the need to do it. My favorite fountain pen in hand, with my yellow legal-pad, I let pour whatever is on my mind onto the page. I usually have a thought I’d like to follow up on, so I jot it down on another pad nearby, but it is such a cathartic beginning to my day, and one that allows me to start my days fresh, whatever else may lie ahead to enhance or possibly disrupt that mood. The simplicity of pen and paper, and there is something about that method, something visceral, that typing won’t allow, that permits me to exalt, to mope, to think deeply, to bring myself to a place where I recognize the real me, the simple, uncomplicated me, and so my day begins.

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The Way Forward

Change comes hard. Real, lasting, satisfying change comes harder. While an odd paradox of life, it’s true. Most of us wish for change, but do little or nothing to make it happen. As the old saying goes, ‘doing the same thing every day, but expecting different results is the definition of insanity.’ Yet down the path of ‘insanity’ we go. Happily.

Why? Because we really don’t want change. We want to be comfortable. To have everything the same, day-in and day-out, the same. Even if the situation is really intolerable—bad relationship, job, debts, etc.—our known discomfort and difficulty is what we cling to, because we are familiar with it, and there are few surprises: just variations on the same miserable theme. Change, however, means doing—yes, doing, not thinking—things differently, perhaps in small ways at first, just to get used to doing something, anything, differently to influence a different outcome.  Getting up earlier in the morning. Beginning a modest exercise program. Learning a foreign language. Any and all of those things we dreamt about but never acted to create them. We all have fantasies of the person we might be, or the person we might have become, and we think of that man, that woman, and smile, and then sigh, and resign ourselves to being in the present, to the life that we did create, perhaps inadvertently, and of our next, known step in our uncomfortable comfort.

‘What if….’ That great game we played in childhood as we imagined being a cowboy, or an astronaut, or a football player, and as we assumed these roles, albeit temporarily, we grew, because we were thinking out of the box, maybe not having the slightest idea of what it might take to become one of these things, but letting ourselves make it up as we moved along in our game. Personally, I don’t recall a time when I was told not to think imaginatively, but somehow, as I got older and grew to adulthood, I began not to do that so much. And, like many, I took on ‘adult’ behavior and began to think in more ‘practical’ ways of how to accomplish the tasks in front of me. By studying. Reading the right books. Learning new technical skills. Meeting influential people. And ultimately creating a career that allowed me to be comfortable in my life, but was not really satisfying.

Until a series of events pulled me out of a specific job, one that was perhaps too comfortable, and that had allowed me to get too complacent. It put me in another situation where I really needed to think about the fact that I was scared of the new, different circumstances. However, I was also really tired of being comfortable but completely disengaged, and knew that there was still so much of life to be experienced that I allowed myself, even compelled myself, to begin to accept the unpleasant things allowing change can bring, realizing that I can endure a lot more than I thought, that I really can learn what I can control, and let go of the rest, as I reach ever higher, having once again picked up my dream of being a writer, an adventurer, a traveler, and so much else I once dreamt of being.

Guess what? Now that I’m uncomfortable again, I want to complain that this is not what I had in mind. Or is it? Comfort is easy, even if it’s not fun. Discomfort, or ‘a little discomfort’ as my friend Mary says, is just a temporary inconvenience, and one that, if I look at what the situation is really about, and not how I’m interpreting it—through my comfort lens—it’s not the end of the world. And gradually I begin to relax into the situation, the day, and the task, with the realization that this is not forever. I have a language to learn, or relearn, I suppose, given the number of years I neglected it. And I have books and articles to write, and places to see, not to mention things to learn: the piano! French! Fly-fishing! However, I need to get through the uncomfortable part of my day first, or last, so I’m able to devote my thoughts and energy toward growing skills and moving forward in the ways I want to move forward. Ways that make me smile, if only to myself, and let me know that my life is flowing again.

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Anger Begets Anger

At some point, being angry is just another bad habit, like smoking, and you keep poisoning yourself without thinking about it.

—Jonathan Trapper

We’re living in a very angry world right now. Being angry people. Angry about what’s going on politically, environmentally, socially, and I am seeing anger become our default, being ‘normalized’ in some odd, portentous way; a way that will not lead us to triumph over what’s causing the anger: seeing injustice to ourselves and others, feeling it wash over us as we struggle to understand how to move beyond it. And it’s hard. It’s very hard. As Jonathan Trapper notes in the above quote, anger can be like a bad habit: smoking, excessive drinking, reckless driving, cursing. And so it is. Think of the last time you felt really angry about something, and how it made you feel. Perhaps you felt physically hot, your breathing pattern may have quickened, and afterward, you felt you had to ‘come down’ from an emotional peak before feeling ‘normal’ again, as the tension left your body. Like those aforementioned bad habits, anger feeds on itself, using the energy it brings to take you to the next level of emotion, feeling, or action. And calming down after being angry is, indeed, like coming down from a high caused by drinking, drugs, or out-of-control behavior.

So, how to deal with our anger? Not expressing it is not necessarily the best way, but what about expressing it in ways other than screaming, yelling, or throwing things? Of realizing, that yes, I’m angry, and think the situation that caused it is beyond ridiculous. And then asking yourself if being angry will help the situation. Or is another action the way to go here? To follow the ‘bad habit’ metaphor, being angry doesn’t need to be the gateway to expressing that anger in an out-of-control, ‘drunk’ manner that only drives you to vent, and does nothing to alleviate those feelings, or what has happened to cause them. I’ve found that if I consciously think, ‘Breathe,’ and then do so, slowly, my thoughts begin to quickly go over what has happened, and I usually begin to realize that it’s not that serious, and that it’s going to be okay. And I’ll admit that’s really tough sometimes: at those times when you feel denigrated, put-upon, betrayed, lied-to, ignored, and all those things that make us feel less-than, finding the ‘high road’ is not easy. And then I begin looking for ways to be grateful for what has happened. Not that I’m happy something happened that caused me to be very afraid, but that I was able to back away and see it for what it was, and at least I tried to mitigate the negativity  at hand. Searching for ‘grace’ in the situation, a way to be grateful for even a small part of this event—if only for the knowledge that I know I will be able to face this again and not fall apart—is the beginning of discovering the ‘better way’ through anger, replacing the anger reflex with gratitude. To see that, perhaps, you are in some way wiser and better prepared to face your own anger in new and challenging situations.

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Bringing Nature Back into Your Life

‘Nature is one of the most underutilized treasures in life. It has the power to unburden hearts and reconnect to that inner place of peace.

                        —Janice Anderson   

Sunshine, forest paths, beaches, gurgling streams, fresh air, silence: all parts of nature that can elevate our mood, calm our senses, refresh our minds, and heal our bodies. That we take the time to enjoy it, even when it lies just outside our door, is to our detriment. City-dwellers often need to seek it elsewhere, outside their city, but the opportunity to sit under a tree and simply breathe, or perhaps read for a while is theirs for the taking, if they just will do so. Even those of us fortunate enough to live in the suburbs or in the country, with natural resources close by, often take it for granted, or say, ‘what a lovely sunset,’ and move on with the ‘necessities’ in our lives. As Ms. Anderson points out in the quote that began this piece, nature is our underutilized tool for easing our stress and allowing us to see what is really important. But how to do so with so many things vying for our attention? Bills to be paid, papers and reports to be written, kids to pick up, and events to attend? When? How?

It is said that life moves fast, and that time flies, and that can be true. But if we remember that life is lived one second at a time, and that many, if not most of us are able to have some control over our schedules and activities, we can carve out that time to bring nature back into our lives. If, on the morning drive to work, a beautiful sunrise illuminates the landscape, creating a lovely play of light and shadow amidst the trees, or the buildings, simply taking the time to think about it, how it lights up the landscape and gives us warmth on our faces, and allowing a few seconds or minutes to focus on the sunrise  and on the beauty created is the beginning of bringing nature’s healing power back into our lives. No, the morning commute has not changed, but the way we are living it and thinking about it has. And that makes all the difference.

Planning time with Nature is the next step into unlocking its power to ‘unburden hearts and reconnect’ with our dreams, desires, and to let go of old behavior that no longer serves us. Spending a half-hour in the park by the water, even if, as in New York, you can still see skyscrapers and hear traffic, is miraculously invigorating. Through the peace of personal meditation on the grass, the water, the sky, and of our role in whatever comprises our personal universe allows that reconnection. Old thoughts, new dreams, ideas and adventures begin to take shape when we connect with our innermost thoughts and allow them the space to grow…even if only for a very short time. This reconnection, through the beauty and peace of Nature, is just the beginning of starting to live our dreams, to begin taking action on something we’ve longed to do, and to see that it is possible. What ‘good old dreams’ and long-forgotten projects need to be re-examined in your life, and what steps can you take to reconnect with them? Let nature clear your head and help you find the peace you need to begin living your best life yet…