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I joined my friend John Springer for one of his enchanted walkabouts recently. In our world of skeptics and naysayers John gives permission to people of all ages to return to that time in our lives when we believed in those things unseen, when we were able to, without criticism, talk to a plant, hug a tree, and to awaken to the often unseen and ignored wonders of our world.
Dressed in his Boy Scout shorts and socks, John’s stature makes quite a canvas for his Washington Oaks tee shirt with a large Live Oak in the center. A crushed velvet deep blue top hat, complete with the proverbial rabbit completes his outfit. To most unsuspecting passerby’s this is just another eccentric, but to those who stop, shake off all their preconceived opinions, and take the time to listen, we begin to see his work in a new light, a world that communicates not through words but through senses and sensations.
Children adapt most easily, as John started by pointing out the subtle and not so subtle faces on the old live oak standing sentry duty on the banks of the St John’s River. As I struggled to see the first face, John and the two young boys with us were busily pointing out a multitude of eyes peering out at us. Some were smiling, some frowning and some howling. Perhaps children see these things so easily because we give them permission to imagine or maybe they just haven’t been jaded by those that tell us this is all childish, silly and not socially acceptable to see fairies, gnomes and faces in the trees.
John continues looking for the fairy holes, gnome homes, and dragons on the broken tree branches. He guides even the most stoic of engineers, to feel the energy of nature. He instructs us to stand between three trees which form a triangle. These are called elevators. Is it going up or down? Surprising to the adults in the group, all feel the energy flowing in the same direction.
As our group strolls through the woods, we are allowed to feel the energy of the oaks, the magnolias, maples, hickories and pines. As I stand there with my arms outstretched between two different trees I start to feel the subtle difference between the energy of the Oak and that of the sycamore. As I begin to feel, I begin to believe. Maybe if I listen just a little bit closer, I may be able to hear the singing of the resurrection ferns as they get a drink from a gentle rain, or have the confidence to ask the flowers to release their fragrance.
We connect with nature all the time. We can be taking a walk in the woods, sitting on a bench beneath an old oak, swimming in the ocean or standing on a mountain top. When we stroke our pet, or watch a hummingbird collect nectar we are connecting to nature. Have you ever seen the line of cars, stopped in a national park, just to watch a bear graze? Have you ever stopped to smell a flower or marvel, somewhat begrudgingly, at the tenacity of a weed growing up in our driveway? Nature is always beckoning us, always inviting us to wake up and take notice.
Science is confirming what we have all known all the time. Spending time in nature heals, rejuvenates, lowers stress and helps us see the beauty and joy in our children, our grandchildren, our husbands and wives and most importantly ourselves.
Dr. Michael Cohen has been studying the impact that reconnecting with nature has on people of all ages for the past 50 years. The results are consistent. When people reconnect with nature, their stress levels decrease, and their mental and physical health improves. They become calmer and they consciously or unconsciously become aware of the beauty, energy and life that surround us.
I challenge you to do an experiment. Take a survey of how you feel. How tired are you? What is your level of stress? What is your emotional index? Are you calm? Are you anxious? Now get up out of your chair and just step outside into a natural area. Find something natural that you find attractive. If this is not possible, find a favorite house plant and plant yourself in front of it. Now take a deep breath, and as you slowly let out your breath, let go of all the distractions, your wandering thoughts and worries and just focus on this object of your attraction. Bring your total attention to it. Touch it, smell it, study its design and all its details. Appreciate it and thank it for being there for you. Now just be silent and listen to the thoughts that come though you. Don’t answer those thoughts or dismiss them, just let them resonate within you. Feel them, appreciate them.
Maybe if we all suspend judgment and open ourselves to the world, we too may just see that fairy, hear the whisper of the pine, or revel to the chorus of the lilies and resurrection ferns. We’ll certainly never know wandering malls or sitting in front of our computer checking emails.
Take the leap and find a fairy.
