- My Voice: Nature’s Services<\/a><\/li>
- Sinclair Garden Plots: Adopt a Little Bit of Nature<\/a><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
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Taken by Staff Photographer Elliana Miller-Young<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n \tWhen I think about my childhood, I picture building \u201cbridges\u201d in the woods, playing in the creek, going to the park and using leaves as money with my sisters. I grew up playing outside from sun up to sun down. I always thought that a deep appreciation for nature was innate in all humans. At some point in time it was and in some cultures it is, but I think we see it less and less.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\tMy engulfment in nature during the most important stage of my mental development plays a large role into the connection I have with it today. It\u2019s also the reason that I try and get my younger siblings outside as much as possible. Losing our connection with nature not only does harm to Mother Earth, but to our own health as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\tOn one of my impulsive library trips, I was drawn to the book \u201cForest Bathing\u201d by Dr. Qing Li. In this book, he speaks of the positive things that simply being in nature can do for us. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOutside is where we can smell the flowers,\u201d he says, \u201ctaste the fresh air, look at the changing colours of the trees, hear the birds singing and feel the breeze on our skin. And when we begin to use our senses, we begin to connect to the natural world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\tWe are natural beings just as the animals that go about their days based on the rhythms of the Earth as well as their bodies. We are disconnected from these rhythms due to our advancement as a species and while it has become the social norm, it does not mean it is healthy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\tI know that when I find myself feeling ill or drowsy for no apparent reason, it is probably because I have yet to spend any significant time in the sun that day. Going from home to school and to work, is not enough sunlight. Taking the outside route to my classes rather than being inside for every transition is sometimes the little bit that I need to feel more energized.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\tAside from the fact that the daily lives of many do not allow for ample free time, there are other factors that play into the inability to spend time outside simply existing as the natural beings we are.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Many of us are tired of the constant attack on technology and how we spend too much time on our phones, but hear me out for a second.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Taken by Staff Photographer Elliana Miller-Young<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n \tWhether it\u2019s a book, a phone or an mp3 player, people like to be able to occupy their minds. That\u2019s totally understandable. Sitting on the toilet? Read something. Going on a walk? Listen to something. It can be intimidating to think about existing with only yourself. Most people don\u2019t pencil in a date with their brain on their weekly schedule. How convenient it is that spending time out in nature is a nice way to meet in the middle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\tDepending on where one is, the backyard, a metro park or the forest by one\u2019s home, there are many things going on in nature to which one can avert attention. The mind can be occupied with things outside of itself, but it will be occupied by the nature from which we are so detached.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\tI highly advise you to take some of this into practice. Reading about spending time in nature is not enough. You have to find what works for you and make an effort to stick with it. It is a continued effort just as anything necessary to better one\u2019s life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\tSpending more time outside will have positive effects on the individual and having more people connected with nature and therefore caring about nature will have positive effects on our Earth as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- Sinclair Garden Plots: Adopt a Little Bit of Nature<\/a><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n