Blowin' in the Wind

There is a pleasure in the pathless woods,
There is a rapture on the lonely shore
There is a society where none intrudes,

By the deep sea and music in its roar:

I love not man the less, but nature more. 

--Lord Byron

The weekends aren't just great times for beering out, sleeping-in with cucumbers on your eyes, TV-series-binge-watching, deep cleaning, or cruising your convertible down the shoreline honking at girls (Don't tell me that was you). At the close of the week's chapter, this time, spare a moment for the salve of nature. 

Remember what it was like to be a kid, when magnifying ants made you feel like a scientist, collecting seashells made you want to be a mermaid, and star gazing made you dream about being an astronaut?

That little child is still in there, somewhere.

As human beings we crave a tryst with nature. That special silence, not broken but sweetened by singing birds, the breeze through the corn husks, and the rumble of waves against the rocks. 

Maybe you're one of those people who crinkle their nose at the thought of mud, insects, and cheerful animals. But this prescription isn't just for the mountaineers and tree peers. Think of it like vegetable juice. Just because you don't like it, it doesn't mean it isn't good for you (Think Popeye).

Explore a hiking trail, a sea cave, a castle ruin, or even just a patch of grass. Turn off your phone. Switch off your mind. Shut up and listen. 

Now no need to get all yoga on us. Unless that's what you're into. It's merely isolating yourself from the clutter of daily life and relearning the art of simple clear headed thinking. (How do you think Socrates got so damn wise?)

And while you're at it, you just might have a eureka! moment. Check out these nature swooners...

Immersing oneself..

"Adopt the pace of nature:  her secret is patience." --Ralph Waldo Emerson, Author, Poet. 

"Great things are done when men and mountains meet.  This is not done by jostling in the street." --William Blake, Poet, Painter

"Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better." --Albert Einstein, Physicist 

"To me a lush carpet of pine needles or spongy grass is more welcome than the most luxurious Persian rug." --Helen Keller, deafblind author, activist, lecturer  

"For you shall go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall break forth into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands." --Isaiah 55:12 

"May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view. May your mountains rise into and above the clouds." --Edward Abbey, Author, essayist, environmentalist