On my early morning walks, no matter where I am, I allow my brain to be quiet and focus on what is in front of me. One of the most fascinating things about nature is that there are so many lessons for us – if we just look more closely.
There are patterns to observe – I have been seeing so many pelicans and noticed that they have an order they follow, which we can learn from so beautifully. The pelicans sit, watch, glide, dive for food, and rest. They work and soar and pause.
We tend to have our attention mostly on the work in front of us and not so much on the soaring. Our eyes are usually down on our phones and computers and other devices and I know that we miss so much when we have this narrow focus.
When we allow our spirit to rise above, we get a whole new perspective. Just as the pelican sees so much more clearly from above what they are seeking, so can we. Give yourself a break from the usual unrelenting tasks. Set a timer every hour to stand up, look around, go outside and look at the sky or trees or people going about their day. Breathe in something new. You will have a few moments of rest and maybe even you will receive new ideas and clarity, or just a much needed rest so that these pauses create even a little bit of soaring for your soul.
Your words touch me, particularly as there has been so much in the news this week about climate change and the need to take more care of our Earth. Every aspect of nature has so much to teach us. My own work is with the plant world but I am very present to all beings in nature and the lessons they have for us. We all need to be conscious to those lessons, by paying closer attention as you point out. It is a necessary step in re-connecting with the part of us that we have lost – a loss which has led to us not recognizing that we are nature ourselves.