Step into Nature

I have a love of nature on a very local level - I do not desire to drive to the woods every weekend. That said, I would like to return to some habits of walking and biking to local natural areas - we do have some great ones - and also having an occasional adventure in the woods or at the ocean.

Agenda:

1. Practice a Reverent Way of Being

2. Read "Step into Nature"

3. Plan some adventures

1. Practice a Reverent Way of Being:

The season is turning again, towards late summer and Lughnasa. I will again adopt a Reverent Way of Being for the days before this turning point of the year - which is to say, I try to be respectful and humble, and use a discipline of speech and thought that I find difficult to maintain for long periods of time.

Specifically, I try to be impeccably honest, and tell no little fibs. Also, I try to not gossip or say (or even think) anything negative about anyone. These are my worst habits, and it's useful to practice being virtuous for a few days at regular intervals throughout the year!

To remind myself, I wear this ribbon bracelet with the words: Reverence, Respect, Honesty.

2. Read "Step into Nature":

I've just started this book by Patrice Vecchione (2015), subtitled Nurturing Imagination and Spirit in Everyday Life. My goal with this book is to soften the bluntness of my Nature-Culture ideas and add some wonder.

"To learn how to best care for the earth and how to find the will to do so, we need to ask previously unasked questions, be more wholly aware, engage our senses and our spirits, honor our emotions, and put stock in the earth's wisdom."

She advocates for walking in nature to deepen my love for the earth, inspire my art-making, and balance my emotions. "If we want to care about the earth, don't we need to know her?"

3. Plan some adventures:

Ideas:

1. Weed walk or bird walk?
2. Bike trip with the family to the river swimming hole
3. Borrow a car for a trip to the woods with Wade
4. Rent a car for a beach trip