Natural Healing - The Care.

Are you a city mouse or a country mouse? There are so many versions of that story with different "lessons" implied. One is that we are comfortable with what we know and not so much with what's unfamiliar. Another is that it might be better to live with less and feel peaceful than to live with extras, yet be fearful. The main thing I got from the story when I was younger was that there is a difference between city and country living and many contributing factors to that.

I've lived in both settings and I've experienced very large cities as well as rural parts of the world. With the pandemic last year, I watched nature, especially small animals like rabbits and fox, make its way into the more urban areas. Cities grew much quieter and while people missed human connection and interaction, I also heard many comments on how much they enjoyed the lack of traffic and the quiet around them.

Getting caught up in the concrete and steel world of cities can literally be unnatural. Even smaller towns can sweep us up into man-made rhythms causing us to feel "out of synch". When we feel that way, we don't sleep, eat, or feel well.

As far back as the time of Aristotle (384BC-322BC), there has been a celebration of nature:

"In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous." Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) said: "The Earth laughs in flowers." A quote from John Burroughs (1837-1921) is: "I go to nature to be soothed and healed, and to have my senses put in order." And even Albert Einstein (1879-1955) said: "Look deep in nature and then you will understand everything better."

Two of my favorite cities, Boston and New York, have nature incorporated into their composition. In both, Frederick Law Olmsted was commissioned to create large park areas. In New York City it's Central Park and in Boston it's The Emerald Necklace which includes Franklin Park and the Arnold Arboretum. Maybe it was subconscious, but somebody "knew" it was important to let Nature into those cities. When I go for walks in Boston, I always take pictures of the natural beauty. I'm including some of them in today's post. It calms and settles me to see it.

I'll leave you with two more current quotes, sometimes seen on T-shirts and coffee mugs:

"There is no wifi in the forest,

but you will find a better connection."

and

"Get lost in nature and you will find yourself."

If you're feeling a bit lost, contact me: cummingsbarbara@gmail.com I have a few ideas about how to reconnect with your personal GPS.

A short note about the new look ... every other week I'm planting a Seed on Monday and blog about it in The Bloom on Thursday. Every other week in between that, I'm sending out hints for creating or maintaining healthy habits in The Care. I'm so happy to have you along for the ride. Feel free to spread the word and tell your friends! They can sign up at www.barbaralcummings.com.