3 Ways We Connect with Nature

Access to nature is one of the greatest gifts that we have. Whether you live in a city with parks and greenspace, or in a small town like us with wooded areas and waterfront nearby, getting outside has the power to reinvigorate us when the world can seem bleak, when our creativity seems to have run dry. This year especially, we could all use a bit of fresh air to lighten our spirits.

Connecting with nature is an integral part of the human experience. Though we’re spending many of our days inside during this strange time, we’re seeking out ways that we can continue to connect with nature while still following social distancing rules. Here are a few of our ideas:

Take a “notice” walk

It seems like it’s more common than ever for families to head out for a walk at some point in the day, just to stretch their legs and get out of the house. But, how many of those walks are spent noticing? Are we just heading outside to say that we did? Or are we opening up all of our senses and capturing the little pieces of magic that lie in nature, just waiting for us to notice? What songs are the birds singing today? What sprouts are poking up through the sidewalk, or budding from the tree limbs? What smells are riding the breeze? Connection is about more than just experience - it’s about feeling the experience to your core and holding onto the details.

Break out your camera

You don’t need to go anywhere further than your own backyard in order to connect with nature - and right now that may be your only option! We’ve found that heading outside just to get outside doesn’t provide us with any of that deeper connection, so we’ve started taking our cameras (or just our phones) with us and attempting to capture the beauty surrounding us. What better to spark creativity than witnessing a tiny ant lug a leaf across the grass? Or to watch an owl perched high up in a tree, searching for prey? Or to see the buds of new leaves bursting to life on shrubs and trees, the way that a tiny green bud can hold petals containing a gradient of colors? 

Get your hands dirty

Finally, a great way to connect with nature is not just to observe it, but to be a part of it, to impact it in some way. To us, this has meant starting a vegetable garden, planting flowers or shrubs that are known to attract bees and butterflies, and building bird feeders. The more dirt under our fingernails, the better in this case. Getting tactile with nature, letting ourselves feel soil drifting between our fingers, blades of grass swiping against our bare feet, and the sturdiness of roots in our hands, their tangled structure breeding life into the world? That’s what connection is all about. 

This year, use our extended period of solitude to take the time to connect with nature. And, if you find a metaphor somewhere along the way, we won’t be surprised. Nature has a way of telling us all that we need to know about life, even through its subtle signs.