I have been an outdoor gal all my life. Love to cross country ski (used to downhill), bike, sail, kayak and hike . Live near the ocean for a reason.
I also enjoy and appreciate all four seasons. My favorite though is spring. Without a doubt I am very grateful for nature! Brings me much joy and peace of mind.
I am always grateful for the nature that is around me. I live in a very beautiful place on this earth. I love seeing how resilient nature can be and being part of the cycles and rhythms of nature lets me experience time on a different scale. A scale where I am not at the center.
I am so grateful & blessed to be surrounded by Redwood Trees. They have become my medicine. After all the losses I have endured, in the last 2 years & the deep emptiness I feel, these magnificent trees have been my healing companions. It is really hard for me to accurately describe this phenomenon. I will simply say I am in awe of God’s works of art. Looking up at these massive trees reminds me of my own strength, vibrancy & my will to survive. Breathing “their air” is a soothing balm for my wounded being.
Thank you to the Almighty for Mother Nature. I would be lost without Her.
I lived in McKinleyville from Sept 79 till Jan 82. I had not been back to the redwoods until I took my wife and two children in 2000. We stayed in Trinidad. Your posts always take me back PKR…thanks for the jog of my memories.
I live in a state that visibly cycles the four seasons. This is a gift for me. I watch out my back doorwall and see all the changes day by day, along with animals/birds and a deeper woods a few houses back. We have lately had a crew of 4-5 visiting turkeys, which is fun. One day the whole group showed up at my doorwall. They seemed to see their reflection, trying to figure out the glass barrier. No worries! They turned around and kept exploring in the other direction. Lots of birds and various colors of squirrels, along with a visiting chipmunk are just outside living their best life.. Who needs a TV??
Certain Indigenous cultures of Turtle Island (aka North America) have a tradition known as The Words That Come Before All Else. I first encountered them in Robin Wall Kimmerer’s book Braiding Sweetgrass and now keep a copy on my wall. You can find versions online as well.
I personally think of the endurance of nature. I have said before that I am fortunate to live near a park and walk by several days a week with my daughter. Right now, we are getting some rain after months of dryness, and I see bright green grass where there used to be parched brown stubble. Nature is cyclical, it ensures, and it is resilient.
I am in total awe of nature. I see the good and the bad…we cannot have one without the other- or so it seems. I see the green grass, and the beautiful wild flowers. Then I see the destruction caused by a recent hurricane. I see the beauty of the moon and the vastness of the sky. Then we hear the night noises …the coyotes, the owls, all trying to survive. Nature teaches me respect….respect for the waves that wash on shore, and the winds that can be gentle or fierce. Always a lesson to be learned and lived when living in the moment and living in nature.
Nature shows the full spectrum of experience, from glorious beauty to ferocious destruction. As we meditate on nature, we have the opportunity to learn about life, its vicissitudes and its gifts.
hmm– my first thought was– nothing- nature is nature. Then I read the posts- something churned. Nature– I am grateful that our true nature is always there, something we can trust, something never changing. I am grateful that I and everyone has this potential, in whatever way it presents itself. These thoughts led to happiness– maybe it’s true that the foundation of happiness is gratitude. Thanks for your posts.
I posted this poem in the Gratitude Lounge yesterday and it immediately came to mind when I read today’s question. I have found that it’s important to live one’s questions instead of waiting for answers. I choose to call the practice evolution and nature has been my best teacher for that conclusion. It shouts “Learn from me and be grateful!” Mary Oliver invites us to ‘Look and laugh in astonishment and bow our heads.’
Mysteries, Yes by Mary Oliver
Truly, we live with mysteries too marvelous
to be understood.
How grass can be nourishing in the
mouths of the lambs.
How rivers and stones are forever
in allegiance with gravity
while we ourselves dream of rising.
How two hands touch and the bonds
will never be broken.
How people come, from delight or the
scars of damage,
to the comfort of a poem.
Let me keep my distance, always, from those
who think they have the answers.
Let me keep company always with those who say
“Look!” and laugh in astonishment,
and bow their heads.
Thank you Carol for sharing this beautiful poem from Mary Oliver. I was not familiar with this one. What a delight to read it here. Thank you, have a blessed day. ✨
I have spent my entire life of of doors in nature either working, playing or contemplating. We are of/from nature and so many people have lost that perspective. The vast majority of western life scurries along concrete or asphalt corridors from one climate controlled building to another. I am so grateful that I have been granted the ability to be able to make a living from the earth. I have not made a lot of paper wealth but I have become very wealthy in LIFE.
I am grateful for nature because it never fails to leave me awe-struck. And not just stunning sights but everyday things like plants. It amazes me that they can take sunlight, air and water and make their own food. Who would’ve thought that two things (air and light) with no discernible physical substance to humans could be used for food. Incredible!
Nature makes me so grateful for all my senses. I have sight to see it all, hearing to hear the birds sing, the wind in the trees and the rain on my windows and the voices of those I love. I can feel the heat of the sun, and today, the chill of an overnight frost that makes me very grateful for a warm home. The taste of a hearty soup or roasted vegetables at this time of year – Yum! The touch of soft petals and even the sting of a mosquito is all the feeling of nature! It gives life and it takes life away. That is the experience we are given to enjoy or endure while we are here.
That depends on what one is looking for in nature. Sure, I can cherry-pick through the realities of the natural world and find whatever I want to support my emotions at any given moment. But, the plump, slow flying morning dove gliding across my back yard last week that was suddenly snatched away by a hawk wasn’t able to bargain for a better outcome. Sure, many parts of nature are beautiful, stunning, inspiring and refreshing, but it is also, in equal measure, merciless, brutal, and unforgiving. And unfortunately, we don’t get one without the other.
I gasped when you wrote about the mourning dove being caught by the hawk. It’s been a while since I have commented here. Where do you live Kevin? I am in Cortlandt Manor New York an hour and 15 minutes north west of Manhattan on the Hudson river.
Hello Pam, I live in Dartmouth, MA, a coastal community alongside Buzzards Bay, and 20 minutes away from Cape Cod. We’re in a residential area, but because I feed the birds, which are wonderful, it is also not uncommon for us to have several kinds of hawks (and seagulls) nearby as well, not to mention roving bands of turkeys scuffing up food throughout the neighborhood.
The first snow right now is just beautiful. Grateful for the silence it provides. So relaxing! A gift of sorts. Wow! Astonishing, every year anew, a joy for kids and adults! Happy time, enjoying the cold season for no other reason than just the beauty all over!
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I have been an outdoor gal all my life. Love to cross country ski (used to downhill), bike, sail, kayak and hike . Live near the ocean for a reason.
I also enjoy and appreciate all four seasons. My favorite though is spring. Without a doubt I am very grateful for nature! Brings me much joy and peace of mind.
I am always grateful for the nature that is around me. I live in a very beautiful place on this earth. I love seeing how resilient nature can be and being part of the cycles and rhythms of nature lets me experience time on a different scale. A scale where I am not at the center.
I am so grateful & blessed to be surrounded by Redwood Trees. They have become my medicine. After all the losses I have endured, in the last 2 years & the deep emptiness I feel, these magnificent trees have been my healing companions. It is really hard for me to accurately describe this phenomenon. I will simply say I am in awe of God’s works of art. Looking up at these massive trees reminds me of my own strength, vibrancy & my will to survive. Breathing “their air” is a soothing balm for my wounded being.
Thank you to the Almighty for Mother Nature. I would be lost without Her.
I lived in McKinleyville from Sept 79 till Jan 82. I had not been back to the redwoods until I took my wife and two children in 2000. We stayed in Trinidad. Your posts always take me back PKR…thanks for the jog of my memories.
You are most welcome Joseph. It is so beautiful in Trinidad. I am in the SF Bay Area. Have a lovely weekend.
I live in a state that visibly cycles the four seasons. This is a gift for me. I watch out my back doorwall and see all the changes day by day, along with animals/birds and a deeper woods a few houses back. We have lately had a crew of 4-5 visiting turkeys, which is fun. One day the whole group showed up at my doorwall. They seemed to see their reflection, trying to figure out the glass barrier. No worries! They turned around and kept exploring in the other direction. Lots of birds and various colors of squirrels, along with a visiting chipmunk are just outside living their best life.. Who needs a TV??
Indeed. Well said, Pilgrim.
Certain Indigenous cultures of Turtle Island (aka North America) have a tradition known as The Words That Come Before All Else. I first encountered them in Robin Wall Kimmerer’s book Braiding Sweetgrass and now keep a copy on my wall. You can find versions online as well.
I personally think of the endurance of nature. I have said before that I am fortunate to live near a park and walk by several days a week with my daughter. Right now, we are getting some rain after months of dryness, and I see bright green grass where there used to be parched brown stubble. Nature is cyclical, it ensures, and it is resilient.
We, also, cannot exclude ourselves from nature.
I am in total awe of nature. I see the good and the bad…we cannot have one without the other- or so it seems. I see the green grass, and the beautiful wild flowers. Then I see the destruction caused by a recent hurricane. I see the beauty of the moon and the vastness of the sky. Then we hear the night noises …the coyotes, the owls, all trying to survive. Nature teaches me respect….respect for the waves that wash on shore, and the winds that can be gentle or fierce. Always a lesson to be learned and lived when living in the moment and living in nature.
You have expressed this so beautifully,
dear Nannette . . .
always a lesson
‘when living in the moment and living in nature’
with love . . .
sparrow ♥
Nature shows the full spectrum of experience, from glorious beauty to ferocious destruction. As we meditate on nature, we have the opportunity to learn about life, its vicissitudes and its gifts.
hmm– my first thought was– nothing- nature is nature. Then I read the posts- something churned. Nature– I am grateful that our true nature is always there, something we can trust, something never changing. I am grateful that I and everyone has this potential, in whatever way it presents itself. These thoughts led to happiness– maybe it’s true that the foundation of happiness is gratitude. Thanks for your posts.
I posted this poem in the Gratitude Lounge yesterday and it immediately came to mind when I read today’s question. I have found that it’s important to live one’s questions instead of waiting for answers. I choose to call the practice evolution and nature has been my best teacher for that conclusion. It shouts “Learn from me and be grateful!” Mary Oliver invites us to ‘Look and laugh in astonishment and bow our heads.’
Mysteries, Yes by Mary Oliver
Truly, we live with mysteries too marvelous
to be understood.
How grass can be nourishing in the
mouths of the lambs.
How rivers and stones are forever
in allegiance with gravity
while we ourselves dream of rising.
How two hands touch and the bonds
will never be broken.
How people come, from delight or the
scars of damage,
to the comfort of a poem.
Let me keep my distance, always, from those
who think they have the answers.
Let me keep company always with those who say
“Look!” and laugh in astonishment,
and bow their heads.
Thank you Carol for sharing this beautiful poem from Mary Oliver. I was not familiar with this one. What a delight to read it here. Thank you, have a blessed day. ✨
I have spent my entire life of of doors in nature either working, playing or contemplating. We are of/from nature and so many people have lost that perspective. The vast majority of western life scurries along concrete or asphalt corridors from one climate controlled building to another. I am so grateful that I have been granted the ability to be able to make a living from the earth. I have not made a lot of paper wealth but I have become very wealthy in LIFE.
I am grateful for nature because it never fails to leave me awe-struck. And not just stunning sights but everyday things like plants. It amazes me that they can take sunlight, air and water and make their own food. Who would’ve thought that two things (air and light) with no discernible physical substance to humans could be used for food. Incredible!
Nature is easy and simple, pure and grateful…..the way life should be.
Nature makes me so grateful for all my senses. I have sight to see it all, hearing to hear the birds sing, the wind in the trees and the rain on my windows and the voices of those I love. I can feel the heat of the sun, and today, the chill of an overnight frost that makes me very grateful for a warm home. The taste of a hearty soup or roasted vegetables at this time of year – Yum! The touch of soft petals and even the sting of a mosquito is all the feeling of nature! It gives life and it takes life away. That is the experience we are given to enjoy or endure while we are here.
That depends on what one is looking for in nature. Sure, I can cherry-pick through the realities of the natural world and find whatever I want to support my emotions at any given moment. But, the plump, slow flying morning dove gliding across my back yard last week that was suddenly snatched away by a hawk wasn’t able to bargain for a better outcome. Sure, many parts of nature are beautiful, stunning, inspiring and refreshing, but it is also, in equal measure, merciless, brutal, and unforgiving. And unfortunately, we don’t get one without the other.
The dove and hawk just completed the circle of life.
Exactly! Happy Holidays to you, Joseph.
I gasped when you wrote about the mourning dove being caught by the hawk. It’s been a while since I have commented here. Where do you live Kevin? I am in Cortlandt Manor New York an hour and 15 minutes north west of Manhattan on the Hudson river.
Hello Pam, I live in Dartmouth, MA, a coastal community alongside Buzzards Bay, and 20 minutes away from Cape Cod. We’re in a residential area, but because I feed the birds, which are wonderful, it is also not uncommon for us to have several kinds of hawks (and seagulls) nearby as well, not to mention roving bands of turkeys scuffing up food throughout the neighborhood.
The first snow right now is just beautiful. Grateful for the silence it provides. So relaxing! A gift of sorts. Wow! Astonishing, every year anew, a joy for kids and adults! Happy time, enjoying the cold season for no other reason than just the beauty all over!