Nature Appreciation

Over the past several weeks, I have committed myself to the blissology project created by Eoin Finn (www.blissology.com).  It takes yoga and meditation one step further and incorporates aspect of everyday life into the journey of finding bliss. One of these aspects is Nature Appreciation.  According to Eoin,

Most people get that Yoga and Meditation is key to the Bliss path.  I see people all around the world practicing great yoga and meditation in beautiful yoga studios, which is great for body, mind, and soul and it is part of the blissology path but to me the foundation for spirituality is Nature.

Christian and I are our happiest when we are out in nature.  Somehow everything we do just works when we are in the great outdoors.  We spent 10 days in Utah at Zion National Park for our honeymoon.  I think we grew more individually and as a couple in those 10 days than either of us have in our entire adult life.  There is something amazing about being in sync with the person you choose to share your life with and being in sync with the world that you live in. On our honeymoon, we really found a balance for our relationship. There were times when I really needed Christian and there were times that he really needed me.  There were also times that we were our best just attempting things next to each other. A guide on our canyoneering trip gave Christian the best advice on one of the more challenging climbs during our trip – he taught Christian the words “I’m here if you need me.”  Thank you Scott! Watching me struggle, Christian wants to be there for me. He wants to make it easier for me. He wants to show me how to do things.  Most of the time, I don’t need Christian.  Most of the time, I want to figure it out on my own.  But sometimes, I do need him, and that simple phrase lets me know he is there (if I need him), but I’m free to conquer it on my own! Those 6 simple words have allowed Christian to be supportive of me, but they have also given me the chance to be independent in our everyday life. If I had to pick one phrase to describe our relationship, it would be those 6 words.

Christian and I will always be thankful to Zion and the experiences we were provided by that wonderful part of the world.  We don’t have to travel all the way to Zion to feel connected to nature though.  It is all around us. This time of year, it is really hard to miss.  Flowers are blooming, trees are coming back to life, and birds are nesting.  Even though we are surrounded by it day in and day out, it is easy to take it for granted.  The blissology project asks you to take notice of everything that is around you all the time.  Our planet is a beautiful place.

A part of appreciating our planet includes respecting our planet.  Our world has had some terrible natural disasters lately.  It’s hard to not take notice all that is going on around us. I don’t know why these things are all happening right now.  I do know there are a lot of opinions out there about it.  I also know that we need to take care of our planet.  I see so many people empty out car ash trays in parking lots, throwing away glass bottles when they can be recycled, and destroying and wasting nature for no reason.  There are so many things people do everyday that hurt our earth.  There are also many things happening on a much larger scale.  Our planet is our provider.  It is what feeds us, nourishes our bodies, provides us with means to take care of ourselves and keep ourselves safe.  We need to take care of planet.  Appreciate the world around you.  Be thankful for everything it offers you and offer it your respect.  We need to take care of each other.