Nature | Pick-Me-Up Pearls

“Spring is the land awakening. The March winds are the morning yawn.” – Lewis Grizzard

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Born in July – a time of fireworks and vacation, summer was always my favorite season. For many reasons now I prefer spring. Warm sunlight combined with cool breezes creates ideal weather. Nature is blooming to life. Birds gather twigs and cushy netting to build nests. They fly from tree to tree searching for the perfect home. Caterpillars miraculously transition into butterflies. It’s a time to plant seeds to grow in gardens and also in our lives. It’s a time of new beginnings.

Watching nature come to life again unfolding its beauty amazes me. Ranier Maria Rilke describes it perfectly, “It is spring again. The earth is like a child that knows poems by heart.” Taking time to appreciate hearing chirps of baby birds, smelling fragrant flowers blossoming from buds, observing a caterpillar leave its cocoon and learn how to fly is touching to witness.

This season of resurgence inspires me to dust myself off, reach for new aspirations, continue my path of growth and development. I feel an urge to do more, learn new things, experience adventures of traveling. Like birds, I want to spread my wings and soar to new heights. I’m eager to spring ahead.

“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 off like autumn leaves.” —John Muir, Our National Parks

Yesterday morning I woke with a need to sit in stillness with nature, to be in the midst of trees. I’ve always felt a connection to them, climbing the tall one in our backyard during childhood to be alone, sit and reflect with a bird’s eye view. Later in life, I sought refuge from stress in the towering redwoods of Cazadero. Bench in trees Sipping my morning cup of lemon honey water while reading How to Sit by Thich Nhat Hahn, I was particularly touched by The Moment of Enlightenment: “Siddhartha, the man who became the Buddha many years ago in India, sat for a very long time at the foot of the Bodhi tree. He appeared just to be sitting, but his body was also participating. In his awakening, he was very closely observing his body, his feelings, and his perceptions. As he continued his practice, his power of mindfulness and concentration became stronger and stronger. One day at dawn, as the Morning Star appeared, he felt a liberation that dissipated all the darkness within him. That was a moment of enlightenment.” Tree in park Feeling a little gloomy the past couple of days, I knew sitting in nature would help dissipate my darkness. Throughout the morning, the universe kept sending me trees: from practicing a new Pilates “Climb the Tree” pose to reading Tiffany Caronia’s response to LA Yoga Magazine’s question: What rituals do you incorporate in your life to encourage restoration? Part of her answer was “Spending time in nature.” I knew that was just what I needed.

I wondered where I would walk while I was out running errands. A sign popped out at me as I drove along Crown Valley: LN Botanic Preserve. I made a U-turn and pulled into the park full of walking paths, benches, and trees. I kept climbing the winding path until the singing of birds became louder than cars whizzing below. When I reached the top, I was rewarded with another thing I love – a labyrinth. I followed the maze mindfully letting all other thoughts slip away feeling nature’s peace.

Labyrinth