The Compass for Your Life

A compass is pretty neat.  The arrow will always point North, helping you find direction. So cool!

Besides assisting you in finding your direction out in the wild, it also makes for an excellent metaphor for your own life! Maybe a bit cliche, I'll admit, but it is a good metaphor regardless!

When you are at a crossroads or know you need to make a change of some sort but have not done anything about it, what always brings you back to the true North within yourself?

I know for me, it's going outside to go inside. Perhaps you can relate?

Getting outside is incredibly grounding, humbling, healing, and always brings you back to what is most important to you. It reconnects you to your core values.

There is no need to put on any disguises, fronts, or be anything other than yourself in nature. There is nobody there to judge you, make assumptions about you, or influence you other than yourself and the quiet beauty surrounding you.

Just like the compass always points North, getting outdoors can bring you back to your center, to YOUR north star.

Nature is healing.

It's a proven remedy time and time again to reduce stress and anxiety, provide a sense of well-being and connectedness, bring us back to our center, and remind us of the core values we hold in our hearts. When I was a young adult, I experienced a massive panic attack. Read about my experience HERE.

If you go to a spa or healing center for a massage or other treatment like acupuncture, there's is a high probability that the sounds in that space have a natural quality like birds chirping or water flowing. Nature invites quiet, solitude, and contemplation.

If you live in an urban area as I do, here are some ideas to share with you about getting out into nature in easy ways.

1.  FIND PARKS IN YOUR AREA

Large park reserves are where you'll likely find the greenest space for your buck! Regional parks often have acres of land that include walking trails, biking trails, picnic areas, and areas of woodland. If you go on your city website and search for regional park reserves, you will find many park reserves, and likely some you didn't even know were there! Get curious about new places that you haven't checked out and make it an adventure to go and explore.

2. OBSERVE YOUR BACKYARD

It might surprise you just how much nature is present in your backyard, even if you are in the middle of a city! There are many signs of wildlife in plain sight, and many of us are so accustomed, we don't pay attention! I'm inviting you to START to pay attention and document what you see.

Begin to notice the active birds in your trees, shrubs, or surrounding feeders. If you don't have a bird feeder, consider setting one or more in your windows, yard, or hanging from your house. Notice the different birds, squirrels, chipmunks, opossums, raccoons, deer, coyotes, foxes, etc., that may live nearby and note how often you see them, what they're doing, what the weather is like, and anything else you might notice.

You can keep a notebook or journal to start seeing patterns in their behavior and their relation to the landscape, weather, and seasons. Backyard observations are a simple way to feel more connected to the land around you, and your creature neighbors, even in an urban area!

3. HIKE YOUR NATUREHOOD

Similar to number 2, nature is present all around us. We have to be attentive to it and notice it! Is there a part of your neighborhood that you haven't wandered? Maybe you have driven through there, and it looks nice? Take a walk over there and see what you can see. There is a good chance you will find beautiful yards, gardens, tiny spaces in alleys that people have gotten very creative with and made small spaces that honor nature. I recommend going up and down alleys because that is where you will find the most exciting use of space. You might even stumble upon a tiny unknown park or sitting area you didn't even know existed (this happened to me one time in my neighborhood), and it is terrific when that happens!

If you want to be closer to nature… you already ARE! Nature is directly outside your door, even in a city! We have to notice it and care for it.

Let me know what you find when you go out there.