Mussy-haired, barefoot, outdoors 18 hours a day, chasing butterflies, mapping the creek through the woods, swinging from tree limbs, dancing in the rain, lying in soft grass to watch miles' long paths of birds flying south, spinning around in a field of autumn trees to see them blend into the color orange, making daisy chain crowns, garden tomato and mayo sandwiches on Wonder bread, fearlessly pulling crabs from the crab trap, letting go of the rope swing over the water with complete abandon -
I think my entire adult life was ruled by fear and insecurity about my abilities, about if life would recognize me and reward me, if I had to do something new that I didn't look confident in executing....
It wasn't until my divorce that I realized my fears were because I was trying to fit into an urban/suburban life with rules and priorities that were not mine. There was no nourishment from time outdoors and a simple life with space to breathe, clean air, quiet, no pavement and streetlights. I had no way to replenish in that environment, it was a constant sensory overload and I've always been sensitive to light, sound, and texture.
All my creativity came from growing up in a nature-based culture. I grew food. I ate it fresh. I climbed trees, I explored, I examined my world. Hell, I dove into it head first. I wanted to understand how the clouds formed, how storms occurred, why this particular insect was carrying a twig twice its size, how tree frogs new it was nighttime, why the wind came and went. Seasons were my internal calendar.
The country life is so much more paced. We call it slow, but honestly there's a lot of work involved when you do things for yourself. Hard work. Deep sleep. Good nourishment. And, most importantly, you don't pretend to not see your neighbor take their trash out, you actually know your entire street's names. You can call for help from anyone and they all realize they are a family.
Tract house living in the city/suburbs is soul killing in that life becomes breathing dirty air, noise, people screaming at drivers, ambulances, cars slamming doors at 3 am, pavement radiating heat, streetlights glaring through windows. The only escape is virtual online. The backyard is the only reminder there is nature, but even that gets ignored until mowing day.
If life were Green Acres, I'm with Oliver.
Nature is a powerful life force. There is a reason near-death experiencers report a Heaven that is like earth but the colors and energy put off by everything are powerfully different.
Earth is a replica in biological form so our souls recognize their origins. When you walk across a meadow or splash your feet in a stream, you are in Heaven's facsimile. There's a reason we feel a love for nature and its creatures, the seasons, and oceans. We are remembering who and what we actually are.
We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience.
There's a reason people are so addicted to the homesteading influencers on YouTube and Instagram. Our hearts and souls ache for a connection to the Divine.
Life force.
Don't lose it as you grow old.
It fortifies you and heals.
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