Life gets pretty busy. I mean let’s face it. There are simply not enough hours in a day to do everything that we wish we could do, even though we have as many hours in a day as Beyoncé. And on our days off, do we really want to spend them awake and outside when we could be sleeping in and binge watching an entire season of our favorite show on Netflix?

If you agreed with any of the things I listed above, then the goal of this article is to persuade you to not feel like that. But before you stop reading because you think this will be some long boring article, hear me out! Nature really is good for the soul. So many wonderful and beautiful sites can be seen simply by walking out into your own back yard (or the KMY lawn) and exploring all that it has to offer! It really is like a mini vacation!

Nature is something that I believe we either over simplify or take for granted. It is more than just trees and birds. And it is definitely more than just walking outside from class to class. I also would like to take this time to assure you that nature isn’t something to be feared or is something that is dangerous and unsafe. Nature is a spiritual act of connecting oneself to the untamed world around them and realizing that you are part of something so much bigger.

Is your mind blown yet? If not, then imagine a time where you felt at peace. Where you felt connected to the world around you. Did you ever feel that way outside while spending time in nature? It is pretty amazing to just sit yourself down for a moment, a breath, and just listen to the different sounds that you hear. Or just the different sensations that you feel when a cool wind breeze gives you goose bumps or the when the warmth of the sun on your skin melts all of your troubles away.

Nature is more than just a pretty land scape or beautiful scenery. There is so much to be taken away from good old Mother Nature. She is so full of mystery and awe. She is something to truly marvel and be amazed at.

So how does one really take advantage of this feeling of wonderment and awe at being outside? Even though meditation is a great way to start, there are so many different ways of enjoying the fruits of the outside world! For example, you could go on a walk down a trail in Goshen or even anywhere you live and simply notice the scenery and listen to the different sounds of the creatures around you. Notice the small things, the details. Go down a trail path that you have never gone before and discover things you haven’t seen before. Ask yourself questions that you may not know the answer to! Listen. Breath. Connect yourself to the world around you. Observe all of the life around you and know that it continues after you leave that place and it existed before you saw it. Be curious of the natural world for it is also curious of you. Notice the veins of a leaf and compare it to your own. Touch, feel, listen, connect, explore, discover, observe, and live in the moment of pure fascination of the world outside the comfort of your own four walls. There really is so much to learn about and take from exploring nature and being present in its history.

So next time you need a break or a piece of mind, nature is a very great inexpensive way to cure yourself of all of the burdens in life. Who knows, it might even inspire you and touch you in ways that you would have never expected it too.