Our True Essence is Reflected in Nature
Through our observations of nature, we can learn about the true essence of ourselves.
I spend as much time as possible communing with nature. I particularly love morning walks with my dog that lead me down tree-lined streets, onto giant stretches of green fields, and along the flowing river near my home.
As I walk, I observe the billowy clouds suspend effortlessly in an azure sky. I feel the wind ruffle my hair and kiss my cheeks while it passes by. I notice the curve of branches and grasses and shoots, as they extend towards the radiant sun. I feel the cushion of rich soil and soft grass beneath my feet.
I absorb the glory that my eyes behold, on my journey out of doors, in the warmth of summer.
What I love about nature is its inherent intelligence. It doesn’t require effort to grow, to bloom, to change colour, to wilt, or to die. It’s not concerned with the past and it doesn’t predict the future. It doesn’t question its essence or wish to be different than it is. From one day to the next, it merely cycles through the ebb and flow, and birth and death, of the seasons.
Nature is simply, creation and love. As are we. Yet, very little about our own existence seems to transpire from the effortless ease that surrounds us. As humans we get caught in our own senseless web of overthinking the past, worrying about the future, doubting our abilities, comparing ourselves to others, or believing we can only achieve through brute force or hard work. Thus, we forget that we ourselves are made up of cells that regenerate, lungs that breath, a heart that beats, and blood that flows through our body in the same way that nature prevails.
What if we were to learn from our heart, the trees, our cells, the wind, our lungs, the oceans . . . to feel our life, unfold, evolve, and flow without the push and the pull of so much exertion or will. To be at peace in our own selves for who we are and what we bring to this world. What if we were to calm our minds and just be?
You will never hear the pine say to the birch, I wish I were taller than you. I wish I had more branches. You will not hear the maple command, grow leaves grow! A flower will never whisper to the bumble bee I wish I could fly. The river will not cry to the lake when they meet, you flow more beautifully than I. The moon nor the mountain will confess that they are trying their best to be what they are intended to be. They just are and they do. Effortlessly.
We are all part of this beautiful life system. The possibility of living with ease, like nature around us, is ours to be had. It is our true essence.
Traci L. Scheepstra, Ph.D., is the CEO/Founder of Embodied Learnings. Want to know more about her work in education? Read here!
*This blog was originally written for #theLOVEproject365 and published for the first time on September 2, 2016