Panda Heart Publishing's Official Blog

I watched an amazing show last night on PBS television.  It was entitled, “National Parks”, by Ken Burns.    This show was about how America saved  our natural wilderness though the National Park System and preserved it for us and all future generations to come.

It reminded me that as I fill my days with all of the priorities and things that “must be done”, I must also include time to be in nature.   In watching this show, I realized how much I really miss being in nature and how much it warms and expands my heart.

The following are two quotes by John Muir:

“Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul.”

“Keep close to Nature’s heart… and break clear away, once in awhile, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean.“

These quotes call to my heart and I find that they are so true.  I am such a short ride to majestic views of nature.  I can’t believe how easy it is to get so caught up in life’s busy work, that I haven’t found the time to just go there and feed my soul.

If my heart made the same rumbling sounds that my stomach does when it is empty maybe I would have noticed more.  Or is it that my heart is making sounds, even loud sounds, but I am just not listening.  Sometimes I may not be focused on what really matters or what I really need.

I am in the process of cleaning and clearing out my home to create more space in my life.  Maybe I also need to create more time or shift my priorities to include spending time in nature.  It feels like I am in the process of re-balancing or realigning my life.  I am feeling the need to remember the broader scope of “Who I Am”.

When I am in nature I reconnect to my oneness with all of nature.  I become a part of nature again and it renews my spirit.

I am closing with two additional quotes by John Muir:

“The clearest way into the Universe is through a forest wilderness.”

“When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the universe.”

One New Year’s Eve, my husband and I and two friends spent the event together in a beautiful resort in Downieville, California.  It had started raining on our drive up there and by the time we arrived, it was raining even harder.  We toasted the New Year asking for abundance for all and enjoyed the warmth of the fire.

The next morning we were awakened by the manager in the early morning telling us that if we needed to be home that day, we would have to leave immediately.  They were in the process of closing the roads leaving out of town. Only one of us had to leave.  Since we had planned on staying for several days, the rest of us elected to remain where we were.

Throughout the next two days, the rain became even more intense and the lower part of the resort was completely under water, approximately 30 feet.  We were staying at the highest point in the resort and had an expansive view of the river, now massively flowing by.  We could see large trees and debris floating down in the water.   In many parts of the world water means abundance so I guess we had truly received our wish for abundance.

I spent the days reflecting on nature, especially the river as I watched it rushing by.  There was something majestic about its nature.  The water flowing down beside us was powerful and in full self-expression.   Watching it, I was able to observe how nature just is its own essence.  It can’t stop being who or what it is or being fully self-expressed.

Think how hard we try to defy and conquer nature.  Why would we build our homes where flooding could occur?  Most of the Native Americans lived their lives honoring nature and always knew they were an aspect of nature.  They learned to be in harmony with all of their natural environment.

What would it be like if the rest of us learned how to understand and honor nature?   If the natural self-expression of the rivers are to be full and alive, then we could build our homes at a safe distance along side and experience the essence of this massive energy.

What would it be like if we built our homes and our lives in appropriate and complete relationship with nature?  Maybe we could even learn from nature about how to be truly who we are; that is, to be in full and open self-expression.  Our hearts and our humanity are among the most beautiful aspects in all of nature and, if fully actualized in all of us, could bring about the change we are seeking; thus, finally bringing peace to our world.

When we observe the rest of nature, we can notice everything is perfectly balanced.   The animals and plants take only what they need and freely give what they were intended to give.  Everything has a natural rhythm and flows in a cyclic motion of balance.

There is no waste in nature and no over consumption.  Can you imagine seeing an animal in nature carrying around the fur from another animal in case they might lose theirs?   They are completely satisfied with all that they have and all that they are.

The human species is far more complicated and must satisfy their needs through a complex network of relationships and interactions with each another.   It is also always prudent “to save for a rainy day”, but when we look at our closets, our garages and storage lockers, etc., it is amazing to see all that we have consumed.  Do we feel in balance and in harmony with all that we have?   Is it enough or are we still craving more?

I would like to be a little more in touch with my natural qualities and learn from the rest of nature about how to balance what I really need and what I can give away.  I would like to simplify my life and feel my natural rhythm and balance.  Spring is coming soon and maybe my Spring cleaning could mean cleaning out, making way for a new and freer way of life.

What if we use this time of economic uncertainty to re-examine what we really need to buy and bring into our homes? Maybe we could focus on simplifying our own lives and bringing ourselves back to our natural rhythm and balance.

Do you ever notice how different we feel when we are near the ocean, walking in a forest, watching the sunrise or a sunset, or observing any aspect of nature?   Our bodies and our minds quiet down to a more natural rhythm.

Observing nature is like observing a wonderful master teacher.   There are so many lessons to be learned when we take the time to really observe closely.  One such lesson is in seeing that everything in nature has its own purpose and maintains its own destiny.   It never deviates from its own rhythm and balance.

We are never critical of anything in nature except our own human species.  Even Charlie Brown’s Christmas tree was seen as beautiful in the end.  When we observe animals, do we compare them saying this one is better than that one, more beautiful, stronger, etc.?   We usually just see the beauty in all of nature simply the way it is.  There are no two plants or animals that are exactly alike.   They are all a unique expression of themselves, each one beautiful.

What would it be like if we as a human family saw only the natural beauty in each other instead of criticizing  and judging each other?   What if we looked at each other the way we observed an animal, a tree, or a flower?   We are all an integral part of nature.  We do not live in isolation in a separated space so why do we see each other differently?

When we take the time to just be who we are, we can get back into our own natural rhythm and balance and finally discover our own purpose.  Our beauty is truly both within and without us.  We are unique and perfect beings just the way we are.  Let us always carry this vision of ourselves and be the true expression of love that we see in the rest of nature.