‘I am in complete awe of the evergreen giants I have been blessed to live with at my lake, they are my protectors, my friends, and Mother Nature’s Guardians who gift me oxygen to breathe, shade me from the sun, and fill up my soul with a divine energy.’
I am a child of the forest, a lady of the lake, a humble human in awe of the magnificence of the beautiful West Coast forests. I have been so grateful to live in these forests during the summers for most of my life. My world has been made richer and healthier because I have been blessed to have my beautiful property and forested lands by my lake.
These days, as a mother, I find myself hoping and praying that my adult children are not swallowed by the unnatural blanket of living and staying mostly indoors, as so many people are these days in our society. I do know that one son squirrels himself away living in a very electronic existence, on computers all day, but that is because of his chosen creative livelihood. I expect my other son spends his time rooted inside in an office environment now, as a business owner. Don’t get me wrong, I am extremely proud of their work ethic and their successes in their respective fields, it is just that I feel they have lost that desire to be children of the earth and outside walking amongst the wilds of Nature. As a mother who loves them very much, I just wish I could drag them outside and plant them in the rich, outside wilds to fill up their cups with healthy elements, that is, the wonderful buffet of offerings only found when we take ourselves outside and fully into Nature.
When I am in the city, I will fully admit that I find myself being indoors way too much, even in summer when the weather begs me to be outside. Sometimes I can be swallowed up by my intellectual writing pursuits, my creative artistic pursuits, and personal and social responsibilities, and then the minutes and hours tick by without me even going outside to get a breath of fresh air.
Recently, I escaped the city life to travel in my little campervan and put myself out in Nature, and concurrently stayed at two different Interior lakes, camping on my own. For personal reasons this summer I am currently not in residence at my lake, and so, I find myself yearning for that familiar lake, forest, and sunshiny environment, needing an outdoor fix, and so off I went. I was delighted by the spots I found, and I thoroughly soaked in all the fabulous energy from being outside in Nature and being amongst the trees, the beautiful bodies of water and out in the summer’s fresh air and sunshine.
I have returned home, and I have noticed I am, once again, lacking the energy I receive when I go outdoors, specifically out amongst some trees. Out there I feel I am immersed in a friendly and loving environment, and so I have made a new plan. Essentially, I have lived in two busy, metropolitan cities for the past 35 years of my life, and in each one I did manage to find a spot, usually a public park, that was nearby to my home where I could disappear for a short time to soak up that natural energy I so dearly craved. In the first city, the parks I found where not just to meet my needs, but to meet the needs of my young and growing children, to take them outside because we were not at the lake for whatever reason. I found parks with walkways, grassy areas, playgrounds, and sometimes a pool, so I could get them outside and to be playing in the fresh air and sunshine, and not just outside in our own backyard. Later, I found new places because I now had a little dog, and so I would go out and find the winding pathways with which to exercise her, (and myself), and get some well needed fresh air. These days my children are all grown up and out, and my fur baby has moved on into the Afterlife, and so I am completely alone. Sometimes when you are alone you forget to look after your own needs, and the motivation slips sometimes, for you to take care of yourself. You would think that because you have no one else to look after that you would be top-notch about looking after your own needs, but I have found that not to be the case. Sometimes, I have to make a note to myself, to get up and out, and to go outside and fill up that cup and get my ‘Nature and forest fix’. I have found that sometimes you don’t even know about the nuggets of gold that are nearby. In the last city I lived in, I didn’t even know about a park that was within two miles of my home, a home that I resided in for almost 30 years. I did frequent another park regularly, but hidden and unbenounced to me, was that very delightful gem, that I knew nothing about until a girlfriend suggested we walk one day instead of the regular coffee meetup we usually did. She took me to this beautiful, little hidden park that day, and I was completely hooked. There were winding paths, multiple gardens and rows and rows of flowers both wild and planted. There was a whole section that was forested with winding paths throughout. There were open areas for places to picnic, and hidden grassy areas for people to enjoy and hang out in. There was a playground, and even a community vegetable patch on one end of the property. I cannot tell you how many times I returned to that little hidden gem of a place, and I was amazed I hadn’t even known about it, even living that close to it for all those years. I have taken so many pictures now in there, and I am delighted to share a couple with you here. Obviously, as you might have guessed by now, my favourite part of the park was in the forested section. When I am amongst the trees I feel so much beautiful energy and there is, for me, this wonderful feeling of nurturing and belonging.
In the city where I currently live, I have discovered another park that has a small forested area as well. Once I returned from this last camping trip I found myself drawn to go to this little park and to get out into Nature for my ‘forest fix’. I have gone there several times this week. My only caveat is that I am on my own, and so I am walking alone, and I have to be aware of my surroundings and the other people, or lack of people thereof, along the secluded walkways. I prefer to walk alone out there because I am able to be within my own thoughts, and to be in my own ‘zone’, and to be receiving the love and energy I feel I get when I am out in a forest. I also stop walking and pause many times as I meander along, to observe, to appreciate, or to take a picture or two, or honestly, a dozen.
A couple of days ago, I pulled out my phone and jotted down a complete poem within 5 minutes as I wandered the paths of this little forested area. (The poem was about choosing different paths in life, and I got a fabulous picture that partnered the theme of poem.) So you see, I prefer to be alone when I walk amongst the trees. It is like my communion. Unfortunately, I feel more vulnerable in a city park, than out in the wilds of Nature far away from any humans. I feel safer sometimes being amongst the wild creatures of the natural forest, than from humans when I am in a city forest. I have to have my spidey-senses activated all the time, which sometimes deters from the relaxation and bonding I am experiencing being out there in the first place. However, please note, when one is out in Nature, be it in the true wilds, or being out in man-made or man-preserved Nature, we must always be in tune with our survival instincts.
So when I am in the city, or when I am on the road travelling, I try to find those beautiful places on our planet where I can get a ‘forest fix’. I am a healthier, more relaxed, and better human being because of it. My beautiful West Coast greenery and forests are lush, aromatic, fresh, and incredible visually appealing, and the oxygen and energy I get from being out amongst the trees is one of the healthiest things I can do for myself. When I am not sitting in my beautiful forest at my cherished lake, where I am completely at home and entirely loved, I know I can find a secondary spot on this planet somewhere else, to give me the healthy boost I crave and to brighten my day. Take yourself outside, too, find yourself somewhere to ‘fill up’ and get an energy boost, you’ll feel happier and better for whatever life has to deal you after that. Take it from me, someone who knows and fully understands the power in getting outside and connecting with the magnificence of the forest and the trees.
