Connecting with Nature
You can be alone, but it still provides companionship. When everything is shutting down, it perseveres. If you feel glum, it lifts you up.
Nature.
Being in nature is good for us. It’s good for the mind and body. It makes us happy. We know the Japanese custom of forest bathing has a positive impact on our mood. Taking time to breathe and notice life continuing is a suggested activity in the Coping calendar.
I am thankful that connecting with nature is still an activity I can enjoy safely on my quiet neighbourhood paths. It gives me an opportunity to slow down and spot the encouraging signs of spring.
According to some studies, even watching a nature video is a powerful way to feel awe or gratitude. So if you can’t get outside, watching a nature movie can also work to lift your spirits.
That was my excuse to binge watch Disneynature films.
I loved the awe-inspiring nature of Alaska as we follow the adventures of mama brown bear Sky as she persists to find the fatty salmon her cubs Amber and Scout desperately need to survive. Watching little chimp Oscar find his way in the African rainforest after his mother Isha dies (keep watching, it’s worth it) is up lifting. The savanna grasslands of Kenya may be harsh, but it is heartwarming to witness mother cheetah Sita courageously protect her cubs.
Without sounding too much like a Disney commercial, any nature video will work. I have a fondness for videos narrated by David Attenborough, like BBC’s breathtaking Planet Earth. It reminds me of the movies I watched in an Ecology 101 course in university. My friend and I still laugh over the antics of Attenborough as he got precariously close to a bear’s den. Or breathlessly teetered on the edge of a live volcano with sulphur spewing everywhere, “I. Can’t. Get. Any. Closer.” Step away from the edge man!
He survived. In fact, he is 93 so I suspect being in nature has been good for his health.
Movies are nice, but when I can, I liked to immerse myself in the local natural sights, sounds and earthy smells. Whether it’s gazing out at the blue lake or finding little bursts of colour popping up through the ground, it brightens my mood.
Thank you mother nature for being here for us.
