Skip to main content

Taking Comfort in Nature

Find your solace in the great outdoors

If you are home and quarantined, you may be feeling cooped up and maybe even bored. Hopefully the only fever you're coming down with is cabin fever! I'm doing my best to re-frame this time spent closer to home as an opportunity to slow down and do things I wouldn't normally do. Nature has always been a source of great comfort for me, and I feel grateful that my state's current Stay At Home order still allows for outdoor recreation--provided that it is close to home and people maintain the six feet of social distancing. 

This beautiful poem is often cited during challenging times and brings me such tranquility. 

"The Peace of Wild Things" by Wendell Berry
When despair for the world grows in me
and I wake in the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my children's lives may be
I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought
of grief. I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars
waiting with their light. For a time
I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.

Here are a few suggestions for letting the natural world comfort you during this challenging time:
1. Pick up a good book. I love books that tie nature reflections and outdoor experiences in with the author's personal life. I'm currently enjoying Wild Comfort by Kathleen Dean Moore. See the image below for a couple of other favorite books of mine that are perfect for reading with a warm blanket and hot cup of tea. 

2. Check out nature videos. This video is from a game camera and documents wildlife crossings on one particular log for an entire year. I love the variety of wildlife, the different weather and seasons you can observe, and the different water levels throughout the year. To me, this video provides comfort and hope because over the course of a year, so much beauty travels through one small spot. It reminds me to focus on the things close to home and to recognize how much movement and change can happen in time (hopefully movement toward a vaccine for COVID-19). 

3. Practice mindfulness in nature. Take a moment to sit in your backyard or a nearby park. Use the stillness to meditate on your feelings and also to listen to the sounds around you. Can you hear birds, bees, or maybe human sounds? Do you see spring arriving? What specific signs point to spring? 



Some of my favorite nature books and authors that bring me comfort


What are some of the ways you are taking comfort in nature? 



I got several of these ideas from the Vermont Master Naturalist program, an incredible citizen science and education program founded by my wonderful mentor and past professor. Be sure to check out the VMN website and peruse their resources page. 


Comments

  1. The log video is sensational. Thanks for all the great suggestions!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Eve E! I find the video very calming. Makes me want to set up a wildlife camera some day.

      Delete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Morley Nelson Snake River Birds of Prey Driving Tour

Driving tour of Birds of Prey National Conservation Area - click here to see the brochure and map A couple of weeks ago, I took a driving tour of the Birds of Prey National Conservation Area. The driving route outlines some notable geographic features of the area, as well as bringing birds to great spots above the Snake River for catching glimpses of birds of prey. Read more about the history of this unique area here .  View of Initial Point Snake River at Celebration Park Helpful bird identification sign at Dedication Point This sign at the Kuna Visitors Center has great ideas for stops along the Western Heritage Historic Byway View from Dedication Point

Backpacking in the Sawtooth Wilderness

Sawtooth Wilderness boundary Looking toward the far side of Farley Lake - the first campsite  This past weekend, I went backpacking on an iconic loop in the Sawtooth Mountains of central Idaho. The Sawtooths are beloved and renowned for their dramatic sharp, rocky peaks that resemble the teeth on a saw. I had only been to the Sawtooths once before (six years ago when I was working a seasonal position in McCall), so I was looking forward to exploring more.  I hiked the Toxaway Lake to Alice Lake Loop , and spent two nights in the backcountry. This was the perfect amount of time to spend backpacking, since it's been several years since I've hit the trail and done backcountry camping. My back and legs were achy and tired by the end of the weekend, but this trip itinerary allowed  The fire smoke that has been looming over Boise was present in Stanley (a small river town close to the Sawtooths) and the views of the mountains took on a dreamlike, mystical quality w...

Quarantine Driving Tour of Boise

Map of the Boise Driving Tour to go along with this guide. Find the map here . We're all still under the statewide Stay at Home order here in Idaho, but many of us are itching to get out and enjoy the beautiful spring weather we've been having. Luckily, outdoor recreation is still permissible and encouraged, as long as social distancing guidelines are followed.  Another great way to shake things up and enjoy the beauty of this time to year is to take a scenic drive around Boise. I put together a guide of some significant parts of Boise  Here is a map with directions between each stop on the driving tour: Boise Driving Tour Map 1. Start at the  Idaho State Capitol Building in downtown Boise. Did you know it's the only capitol building in the U.S. that is heated with geothermal water?   check out this online tour of the Capitol and this fact page on the Capitol .  2. Cruise through downtown and stretch your legs at Freak Alley Gallery ,  an a...