Reasons to be Grateful - Nature Edition
At the minute, the world is heavy.
There is much anguish and stress and sadness wrapped in hearts, in minds, in souls and in the earth itself. So much so that it is hard to write about, not just for the fact that in order to write about it you must immerse yourself in all of it but also for fear of saying the wrong thing.
So, I won’t write about it.
There will be no talk of it.
Instead I will write about the little things in the world that I am grateful for.
Before I get started I will also add that this is not an attempt to stick my head in the sand and ignore the issues that cause all these negative feelings, I address them and think on them and read and research – I do not shy away. But we do need the positives, we do need to remember the things in life that make our time here more pleasant, more manageable, the things that give us life.
So here is a short list of the soothing things I notice daily (yes, they are all nature related) that I am grateful for:
The liquid song of the blackbird that drifts in the window with the first inky, blue light of dawn.
That strange hum that pulses on early summer mornings, when there is no traffic and the air is still and just starting to warm.
A skylark’s song, ever climbing like the little bird itself, reaching seemingly impossible heights.
Lavender and the heady scent it shares as it warms by the brick wall in my mum’s garden.
Rubbing a sprig of freshly picked rosemary in my hands before holding it to my face and inhaling – a clean, clinical scent that often goes right to my head.
Foxes, specifically catching a glimpse of rust red, and black marked ears in the overgrown meadow, but I will take any fox sighting.
The colour of crow’s feathers. They are far from black. In the sun they shine iridescent, hues of blue and lilac, all slick and shiny in the sun.
The intelligence of crows, or any corvid for that matter. They are a joy to watch.
Coffee at the garden centre but only if that garden centre has an outside area and a semi-tame robin (or house sparrow) eyeing up your crumbs.
Bare feet on warm sand.
Bare feet in cool waters.
Bare feet on wet grass.
The clarity of chalk streams – clear waters willing to share their secrets, wanting you to look under the surface.
Where there are chalk streams there are often kingfishers. You can’t not be grateful for a kingfisher.
Trees – big ones, small ones, old ones, young ones, ones with leaves, ones without, all of them. All trees are wonderful. Fact. (Even if I’m not very good at IDing them).
The steady fizz of the sea washing over the pebbles on the shore.
A good nature-writing book. One that can transport you anywhere but where you’re sat at that very moment in time. One in which the pages dance in description so that the subject becomes tangible.
Of course, there are plenty more things that I am grateful for. This short list does not do my gratitude any favours but these are the things in the natural world that I am grateful for at this given moment in time. I’m certain it will change, especially with the seasons and I’m grateful for that also because each season has something wonderful to look forward to.
It can be hard, sometimes, to focus on the things that make us happy – especially when there is much to be sad and anxious about but it’s important to try. To find just one thing on a daily basis that brings your heart joy or the smallest of smiles to your face.
These are my things.
What are yours?
