Resolutions

Daffodils blooming by our creek

 I spent today in a training class for Girl Scouts. 15 women met in a park shelter and learned from two intrepid instructors how to cook over charcoal, wood, and propane fires; how to plan a camping menu; how to clean dishes with minimal impact to the environment; and some program activities to take part in with our troops.

This was outside of my comfort zone. I am very verbal with the kids about being outside in nature daily, but there are so many reasons that I don't follow what I preach. Not enough time. Pressing household chores. Too many bees (I'm highly allergic to yellow jackets and hornets). This spring I did allergy testing and discovered I'm allergic to almost every tree there is and most molds. The excuses keep piling up.

But after this outdoor training, (well, to be truthful, after the long sleep I took after the training), I am pledging to follow my own mantra of mandatory outdoor time each day, even if I can just eek out 15 minutes on the really busy days. This time refreshes and recharges in a way unlike anything else I've experienced (like a great yoga class). It's different from how I feel after reading, which is a soothing but rather escapist entertainment. Being outside in nature is grounding, centering, and clarifying.

The work of poet Mary Oliver illustrates this so clearly. She often starts her poems with a nature scene - observing a scene or encountering an animal - and ends with personal, startling, and powerful statements. Read her poem The Swan, which ends:  
And did you feel it, in your heart, how it pertained to everything?
And have you too finally figured out what beauty is for?
And have you changed your life?

Yes.