Trees & Water
This post was inspired by The Capt who blogged about stress reducers.
The Capt's latest post was about ways to relieve stress at a time when there seems to be an endless supply of stressors. I thought about something that helps when I'm stressed (but it only works for me in the spring, summer, and sometimes fall--as long as it's not cold out). I'm not a winter person.
Being surrounded by nature is one of the best stress relievers and it can be spiritual too. Some people prefer beaches and the ocean. I prefer woods and streams. There's something about woods or forests that make me feel hidden from the world as well as protected from it. Tall trees become nature's cathedral. Birds and brooks provide soft background music. It's a place to engage all my senses. Sight, sound, touch, smell...not really taste though, but definitely the first four.
I'm particularly drawn to water. Always have been. The next best thing to being in it is being near it. Playing in it. Picking up rocks in the water to see if a crayfish darts out. Or just letting it flow through my fingers.
Some of my best childhood memories are of all the time I spent in the woods. We made secret hideouts, caught salamanders, climbed rocks, got muddy, picked flowers, collected leaves and milkpods, built little dams in the brook, and walked through poison ivy (Calamine lotion was a staple in our home. I think I built up an immunity to it now because of all the times I had it when I was a kid).
Just typing about it now makes me feel calm and peaceful. I guess the next best thing to being there during these winter months is imagining myself there on a warm summer day.
