Stepping into nature

"Live in the sunshine, swim the sea, drink the wild air," wrote Ralph Waldo Emerson.

How does this apply to times of crisis? Sustainability during a time of crisis means having calm, forward-looking attention, and resilience - qualities that we can all identify and reinforce if we take time, even a short period, out of our day to be in nature.

Nature should not be underestimated in its power to heal the mind and calm the nerves, and in fact we also can learn a lot from being in it. When we are walking a trail in the woods, we must have constant awareness and forward-looking attention of the steps we take in front of us and what surrounds us. Our senses are increased ten-fold, because there are muddy waters we might need to jump across, branches of trees to get out of our way so that we can see better, and dangerous animals to look out for. Finally, we must stick to our trail or otherwise risk not being able to come back.

And yet while we are applying all of these inward skills in this wild, natural environment, we are also able to appreciate and soak in the sounds of gurgling waters, wind blowing in the trees, warm sun on our backs and faces, and blue skies. Yes, the skies are important, because when we are in the thick of nature watching out not to step on a snake, twist our ankle, or touch poison ivy on the ground, the skies above us are always there no matter what. It is the same in a crisis, we cannot always be in resilience mode, but must have the calm and full balance of nature as well in order to persevere through it.