#28 Marvel at Nature



Trumpeter Swans

 Today is the day that Earth Hour occurs, an international event where nonessential lights are turned off for one hour (8:30 - 9:30 pm) for the purpose of raising awareness of climate change. While this tip may not have anything to do with lights, it has everything to do with nature.

Take notice of the beauty in which nature, God, the creator, or whomever your Higher Power is, has brought to us.

Keep a nature journal for one day and jot down the wondrous gifts we receive.  You can make it as short or long as you wish.  One suggestion is to write something down at key times throughout the day and then enter anything else that just "happens".

Here is an excerpt from one one of my nature journals:

Waking up the wind outside sounded so much like the waves on the reef  - such an exhilarating sound.

Our son's sudden cackling and deep belly laughter and then the joining in of our daughter's giggling couldn't help but to get my attention.  When I went to see what was so funny, there the two of them were, faces pressed up again the living room window, laughing their heads off at two rabbits chasing each other, and doing flips, all over our front lawn.

Mid morning, as I'm sipping my coffee and the kids are playing in their play kitchen, we hear the distinct sound of Harold, one of our resident ravens.  We watch him as he swoops to the big tree down below and then circles back around the property letting out his distinct cawwww.  What a beautiful and playful sound that is to us.

Noon - Walking down to the barnyard to feed our animal family, my son pauses and asks "Ants come back?"  I look back at him standing there on the road next to the remnants of  the anthill that was somehow demolished last fall.  We walk back to him and the three of us look at the little bit of hill left and I tell him that we'll have to wait and see.  The anthill gave all of so much joy as we watched it in fascination, it will really be missed.

As we drive away from the grocery store in the late afternoon, it suddenly starts to rain really hard.  As fast as the rain starts - it stops.  There to our right, over the valley is the most brilliant rainbow ever.  What a gift.

Driving home along the "short-cut" by some local farm fields, what a treat!  There in a field, are two gorgeous,  majestic Trumpeter Swans.  Luckily I am able to pull over and get a good picture.

When you reflect upon your day, I am sure that you too will notice how much beauty our world provides through nature. Children are excellent conduits of this, frequently reminding us of this raw brilliance and wonder.

Moments, such as when my son takes my hand and points to the trees and tells me "the trees are dancing" or when the other evening he said "Look mommy!  The clouds are pink", make me realize how much we adults miss in our world that our little ones see, hear,and feel everyday.  Listen to your children, watch what they watch, and celebrate the world we live in.




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