Tag Archives: nature

Staying Home Update #2

March 30, 2020

Culture and Society

The days lumber on as I shelter in place. Most of the time, I fight the urge to check the news. This involves a swift and anxious perusal of several news websites including CNN, NPR, The Guardian, USA Today, and a Nashvile TV news station. I am getting a better handle on this obsession. Nonetheless, I harbor a deep concern for the wellbeing of the world. The coronavirus pandemic is on its way to being a catastrophic world event with aftershocks that we will experience for an unforeseeable future. I fear for the vulnerable populations all over the world and for the poor countries (such as those in Africa) that do not have the resources and infrastructure that the developed world has. If wealthy countries like Italy, Spain, and the US cannot even contain the spread of the virus and its devastating mortality rate, then how much harder will it be for the poverty-stricken of the world? I can’t even.

This is all overwhelming, and I am simply trying to stay calm.

To that end, there are some daily practices I have cobbled together and try to do as consistently as I can. I maintain a list of friends and family members with whom I check in whenever I can without becoming a nuisance about it. This involves messaging on social media, texting, email, Zoom chats, and phone calls. At a time in which we need to be physically distant from one another, I see this moment in history as an opportunity to support and comfort each other as much as possible.

Another daily activity I have is walking. Being out in the country, I am fortunate to have a private driveway that is half of a mile long from our doorstep to our mailbox. It runs right along our creek and makes for a truly idyllic and calming stroll surrounded by thousands of trees and abundant nature. Our wifi does not extend beyond the house, and I do not get a cell phone signal on our property at all. This means that I am completely cut off from the world when I take these walks., and this is quite refreshing. There are no news websites to obsess over and no people to avoid. I get to be alone with my thoughts and with the natural world, as well as get the easy and low-impact kind of exercise that I generally prefer.

Here are some photos I took a couple of days ago along my way.

Our creek runs right along the driveway.
This is a peaceful and picturesque path.

For about an hour or two if it is not raining (and it rains A LOT in my neck of the woods), I have been working on what has been a lengthy home-maintenance project. I am pressure washing our deck . This has been time-consuming for a couple of reasons. Our house is over 20 years old, and I do not know if the deck has ever been pressure washed before. The layers of mold and normal wear have taken their toll. I have to go over many sections several times just to get a lot of it off. The other reason why this is taking a while is that the deck wraps around the house. It’s A LOT of deck. So, I do a little at a time on most days, and I should be done in about month at my current glacial pace. The before and after photos are quite shocking. Our deck post-wash looks almost brand new! I love it!! This process has been surprisingly rewarding.

In this photo, the darker section is the “before.” Seriously, what a difference huh?

Grime and mold disappearing after a thorough pressure wash.

Like I mentioned last time, I am also doing a lot of reading, knitting, and music playing on my piano and ukulele (less so on cello lately, but that will change soon).

I do all of this in the interest of trying to live calmly as we all weather the growing storm of this virus.

I hope you find meaningful or at least enjoyable activities to fill your days as we try to stay healthy and less stressed out.

Be safe and be kind to yourselves. (Also, wash your hands when you get a chance.)

There will be more updates to come.

-Roqué

Surround Yourself with Nature

July 14, 2019

Culture and Society

Over the years, I have come across several people who enjoyed being outside and surrounded by nature. Whether this involved hiking through hills and mountains, lying on a towel on a beach, taking a walk in a park, having a picnic or barbeque in a backyard, or just sitting on a park bench, there was something about the experience that gave them some degree of joy and comfort.

I have always wondered why this is.

Personally, I love being outdoors. I live in a hollow deep in the woods of middle Tennessee. The distance between my house and an actual road is half of a mile. I am surrounded by possibly millions of green leaves everywhere. For me, nature has a calming and grounding effect. It does not matter if I stand in a green wilderness or a rugged bluff overlooking the ocean. I feel differently than I do in my bedroom or out in a bustling, concrete city.

The interesting thought I have is that standing among trees in the middle of the woods is no less frenetic and bustling than standing in Times Square in New York City. It all just happens on a much smaller, and even microscopic, scale.

Leaves, blades of grass, and flowers all strain themselves reaching out for the sun. Birds, bees, and butterflies flutter about handling their business. Snails, lizards, and snakes slither and slink around hunting for food and places to linger. Lichen on trees and mushrooms absorb particles and nutrients all around to grow and sustain themselves. Sap oozes out of tree barks while squirrels leap and scurry about. Underground, hundreds of tunnels burrowed by worms and ants crisscross among every size of growing root imaginable.

I could go on endlessly. The point is that energy abounds in its own way in a natural habitat. I wonder then if this kind of energy resonates differently within our bodies, senses, and brains. Perhaps this kind of movement within a slower and miniscule capacity is a subtle reverberation that calms us down and connects to us somewhere deep in our core.

If this reads like I am venturing into high-falootin, new-agey, gobley-goop pontificating, then so be it. It is the only answer that I can come up with as to why nature creates a sense of serenity among so many people.

One other reason could be the sheer beauty and grandeur that nature presents.

Jagged mountain peaks that touch the sky.

The sparkling blue ocean on a warm sunny day

Wild flowers of every color in endless fields of wispy grass,

Lush green foliage glistening after a spring rain.

The magical dance of a thousand fireflies as the dark of night descends upon us.

With all the richness that nature has to offer freely, it may be impossible not to be swept up into its comforting arms and beguiling, alluring gaze.

If you have never enjoyed the outdoors, perhaps it is only because you have not found your own natural habitat yet–a place that gives you a sense of wonder and peace. It’s worth the time to put on some good shoes. Head out into the world, and explore.

Surround yourself with nature. The way you feel on the inside and out may get a gentle and much needed boost.

Life is already full of complications. Find a quiet place out in the natural world and just be.

-Roqué

BONUS: If you are an outdoor enthusiast of any kind, there is a Japanese practice called shinrin-yoku, also called forest bathing, that might suit you well. Click HERE to learn more.