Botanical Blooming
- Susan McAlister
- 2d
- 3 min read
A recent visit to the Santa Barbara Botanic Gardens reminded me once again how marvelous nature is for our well being. Getting out and into lovely landscapes, enjoying their beauty and wonders, is renewing, rejuvenating, and soul lifting.
I don't consider myself especially "outdoorsy" or the kind of person who could "rough it" really well, but I was born and spent my early childhood in rural Pennsylvania, and they say you can take the girl outta the country, but you can't take the country outta the girl. I like to think that's why I'm still drawn to the woods and wild and why it often feels like my actual home in many ways. Something inside me is brave enough to go primitive if I had to (though I do love indoor plumbing, haha). My dad didn't have indoor plumbing until his teens! If I had a river or creek nearby, I could make things work. I do think I'd be surprised how difficult and dirty it'd be at first, but I could do it. Living simpler would be quite an adjustment, and I'm not sure I'd want to do it forever, but give me a small cabin with a fireplace, a stock pile of wood, a box of matches, some candles, many books, a sketch pad, pencils, and watercolors, a thriving garden, a swing of some kind, and a pair of good walking shoes, I could unplug and go rustic for a while. Oh, and, a gun and ammunition. I'm not as brave as John Muir, "John of the Mountains" and "Father of the National Parks" he's been called, who was a farmer, inventor, naturalist, philosopher, writer, botanist, zoologist, geologist, and environmentalist, and apparently never bothered with guns as he trapesed through the wilderness. I admire that kind of tenacity and faith. I feel they are called to what they do and what a legacy left behind for the rest of us to enjoy. Thank you!
Nature has a way of helping us remember who we are and that we are part of something big and grand and beautiful. It restores perspective and peace through quiet and stillness. There is a unique energy in nature. It hums with life and light. It's difficult to explain, but I hope you've felt it, too. Being outdoors, rain or shine, can be a definite mood booster. When we honor, respect, and approach the wild with "permission", she seems to give abundantly. I appreciate the vision and hard work of those who have tirelessly spent their lives protecting places for us to visit and leave our cares behind for a while to restore ourselves.
What fun it was to wander in the woods and feel eager and energized. There were kid's day camps going on and I was a little jealous of their youth, vitality, and innocence. I spoke to one small group and they told me to be sure and go inside the bear cave and how much fun they were having. I couldn't help but smile...and then promptly went to find the bear cave where the three bears (of Goldilocks and the Three Bears fame) live, apparently. Oh, to be a child again. With wonder, curiosity, and imagination it's possible to pretend for a while.
I'm so grateful for this wondrous, beautiful earth, created for us to live on and enjoy. I'm grateful for opportunities to learn, grow, and bloom every day and remember how good it is to get out, to be in nature and feel still, restored, and energized all at once. How marvelous is NATURE! Yes, I agree with John Muir:
"Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees."
I love this photo so much. The life-buzzing energy I wrote about was so strong in this space. It was amazing to be among these incredible trees, touch them, feel their essence, absorb the sunlight beaming between their branches, and look up to the sky through them. It was a last minute, spontanious, four-day road trip that my husband and I still cherish and talk about.
Let's continue to get out in nature as often as we can, even just for a little while.
Bloom on, my friends! Love you!
