Natural Inspiration

[inlighten]

I found this on DailyOm.com This morning and felt it relevant to the concepts discussed in both the books and on this forum:

September 29, 2009
Nature Lifts Your Spirits


You may be worrying about things that are troubling you instead of enjoying your time with friends today. Perhaps your somber mood might be due to your sense that things in the world feel heavy and insecure. Spending time in nature—even for just a few minutes—could lighten your mood today. Should your thoughts turn to serious matters that depress you, you can take a walk to clear your head. As you are walking, you might take a look around you. Try noticing the color of the sky, the shape of the leaves on the trees, or the sounds of the outside world. Even if you are in the city, you could find small treasures hidden in out-of-the-way spaces. Being outside and breathing in the fresh air could reenergize you enough to lift your weighty feelings.

Nature has the power to raise our spirits and helps us better enjoy our lives. When we are sad or depressed, it is usually because we feel disconnected from others. Feeling the breeze or sun against our skin and listening to the sounds that surround us, however, make us feel a greater connection with all living things. By realizing our interconnectedness, the sense that we have to carry our own burdens or that our lives are steeped in serious concerns lifts for we see that everyone else in the world shares our feelings and thoughts at some point in time. Seeing the beauty in nature today will dissolve your feelings of heaviness and allow your spirit to soar.
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INlighten