Natural Resources: Always Available! Recently I was out for a leisurely walk with my sweetie, we did our first stroll of the year through the incredible Rhododendron Garden in nearby Stanley Park. I let myself drop into the explosion of nature that is happening in my part of the world, and probably in yours.The phrase Natural Resources came to mind as we sat quietly, surrounded by magnolias and rhododendrons in full blossom, feeling the soft moss under foot, grateful for the beginnings of the multi-coloured greens on the deciduous trees; transported by the songs of warblers and finches. Oh my. Life transformation! I felt myself letting go of some of my urgency to “do”, and accepted nature’s invitation to “be”, to rest, regenerate, and be grateful for the manifold and miraculous gifts of the natural world. And that shift, that sort positive thinking, is an essential survival skill in such turbulent times as ours are now. Natural resources: always available!
I have been further inspired by a podcast by one of my favourite teachers, Rick Hanson, who with his son Forrest, interviews illustrious guests. A recent one is called Learning from Nature, with Mark Coleman, a meditation teacher at Spirit Rock. Here is a link to the interview. Life transformation again! It’s sweet to listen while walking or sitting quietly. If you are short on time, I recommend scrolling to minute 50 in the podcast for the summary. I resonated with idea of allowing the return of wild nature inside ourselves, being less “regulated”, more connected, more harmonious. When I draw on natural resources, I feel part of something larger, whole, complete, mysterious.
If this resonates with you, you might be interested in Mark’s book: A Field Guide to Nature Meditation: 52 Mindfulness Practices for Joy, Wisdom and Wonder.
From my open, green-feeling, new-birth-celebrating heart, I wish you many blessings on your journeys, and many thanks for your feedback and responses. I deeply value being in this together.
Jill
Posts related to this topic you might enjoy include:
• Acceptance, Enthusiasm, Enjoyment: A Trio to Try. I like the flow of these words, the sanguine effect of reading and feeling the words on my soul, in my mind and body. I feel pleasantly light, noticing a bubbly energy, and my heart is open. Eckhart Tolle says experiencing any of this trio indicates we’re “on the right track”.
• Seeing with New Eyes: The inspiration for this title was a visit from two exchange students. It was heart opening, and a quite startling to see some of our familiar sit
es through their new eyes.
es through their new eyes.In closing, I’d like to offer a poem called The First Green of Spring, by David Budbill the husband of a classmate of Mike’s, and very fitting for our focus on Natural Resources:
Out walking in the swamp picking cowslip, marsh marigold,
this sweet first green of spring. Now sautéed in a pan melting
to a deeper green than ever they were alive, this green, this life,
harbinger of things to come. Now we sit at the table munching
on this message from the dawn which says we and the world
are alive again today, and this is the world’s birthday. And
even though we know we are growing old, we are dying, we
will never be young again, we also know we’re still right here
now, today, and, my oh my! don’t these greens taste good.
Jill Schroder is the author of BECOMING: Journeying Toward Authenticity. BECOMING is an invitation for self-reflection, and to mine our memorable moments for insights, meaning, and growth. Check the website for a sample chapter, or see the reviews to get a flavor for the volume. Your feedback, forwards, tweets, likes are most welcome.
