Outdoors is Good for Your Soul

 I am a massive believer in connecting with nature. I love hiking all the state parks within about two to three hours from my home. I love the sounds. I like sitting still and having deer cross my path when I stand silently and still. I love the smell of fresh air outside city limits. The leaves crunch under my feet. I love the outdoors and feel better when I spend time in it.

It is Summer in Georgia, and the heat is unbearable. I am going still going hiking. I take ice water. I bring frozen grapes to keep me cool. I wear light clothing. I bring a Macintosh apple to snack on. I need to feel connected to the earth again. I need to take off my shoes and squish my toes in the dirt below my feet. I long to feel the pulse of the earth running through me.

I have watched Down to Earth with Zac Efron and Darin Olien so many times that I have lost count. There is a scene where Darin gets out and takes off his socks and shoes and gets grounded to the new time zone they are in. Zac feeling a little funny about this pokes fun at Darin, but in the end, joins Darin.

The pulse of the earth, or whatever you would like to call it, is real. You can feel the energy of the planet. You are melding with it. You are a part of it. You and I are connected to this blue ball that is barrelling through space. This is our home. Why then is it so hard to sit on the ground, to take off your shoes and feel the energy, to realize this planet is alive. 

Being outside, taking a walk, watching a baseball game, whatever you do outside, calms you inside. Your mind gets to think, you can hear your ideas, your spending time in nature relaxes you and allows you to be calm, quiet, and recharge. Sit outside in your yard first thing in the morning and let the birds sing you into the day. Put a bird feeder outside for your little friends to feed. You will be blessed with a cacophony of songs.

When we allow ourselves to relax, to be in nature, and to experience our minds at peace, then our bodies recharge. The stress of the day, week, or month begins to melt away. It may be hot, but I am still going to reconnect with nature. It may be a shorter hike with this 90+ outside, but even if its late at night, I sit on my back steps, put my bare feet in the grass, take a deep breath and let my mind rest and recharge.

I pray where you are is not 95 like it is here in Georgia, but even if it is, take even just a few moments to relax and let your mind recharge. Stick your toes in the grass and feel the energy rise through your body. Know you are an integral part of this world and I pray you are well. Let's all recharge and keep going.

Your friend,

Debbie

xoxoxoxox