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| Clematis: Ville de Lyon |
Greetings Earthlings.
Currently Reading: about the beneficial affects/effects nature has on us & I came across this tidbit which has me thinking. It's an interesting exercise to do.
A helpful way to begin is by constructing your Nature Pyramid (from F. William’s
The Nature Fix) :
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On paper, draw a pyramid 🔺.
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The bottom is your base, the nature that you see or experience every day without taking much time, yet it is enough to nurture your well-being. At this bottom level, write in your daily nature experiences (or those that you plan on beginning to do daily this month) eg. walking to the mailbox, surveying the flowerbeds.
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On the next level up, write the nature activities you engage in several times a week eg. eating at the picnic table, weeding, visiting the gardens at the Arboretum, riding your bicycle.
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And on the next level up, record the nature activities you engage in a couple of times a month eg. hiking a special trail, going to the lake/waterfall, taking nature photographs.
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The top level of the pyramid are nature experiences that are the most restorative yet happen more rarely (eg. once or twice a year) and need to be planned because of the resources required (money, time, coordination with others, etc.),eg. camping, a special trip/vacation.
Consciously doing this Nature Pyramid exercise may spark some aha moments about priorities, habits, the impact of the pandemic, or your connection with nature. Having a personal pyramid is a helpful way to remember what we can do every day or every week to ensure our exposure to nature therapy and maintain our connection to the outdoors.
Currently Anticipating: lots of thoughts & feelings as my church takes on a new journey ... Adult Faith Formation Planning. We have our first Faith Formation Gathering this Wednesday, which is a reflection of describing our parish as it is currently. Over the next six months there are 4 meetings to attend to assess where were are, where we are headed & where would we like to go & finally how to get there.
Currently Evaluating: the list of the SPSH. I had high hopes & expectations that this year I'd be out & about more to really challenge myself with the finds - alas - the price of gas is keeping us close to home & certainly more on the patio! How about you, started your search for items on the SPSH? I have two so far, both were just happy happenstances!
Currently Excited/Anxious: about the new neighbours. It is an older couple from out of the region, that have purchased the house next door to us. I had a brief, 10 minute conversation with them, the day they were having the house inspection done. Their grown children live in the city next to us. Not sure of their move in date. Fingers crossed, they turn out to be nice neighbours.
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| Bearded Iris in front of Herbaceous Peonies |
And I will leave you with this thought ... To the people who lose one shoe on the side of the highway, please tell me what the rest of your life is like.
I've never heard of a Nature Pyramid; giving this one some extra thought. My SPSH is about where yours is. Truthfully, it has NOT received enough thought. I'm interested in what your parish is doing with Adult Faith Formation. I sit on our Adult Spiritual Formation Committee.
ReplyDeleteIt's a list I created for SPSH & already I'm getting stumped by it (lol). There is so much to unpack for our little church with this journey.
DeleteYou are a sensitive soul. Have a good week.
ReplyDeleteThanks. Being sensitive hopefully works in my favour with my wandering in nature or should I say my return to nature.
DeleteI am so happy to see your clematis!
ReplyDeleteI hope you have great neighbours!
(ツ) from Cottage Country Ontario , ON, Canada!
Thanks Jenn. Past experiences with less than pleasant neighbours makes me very cautious but hopeful with the potential for some nice new neighbours.
DeleteI don't go on many outings, not many at all, but the time spent in my little bit of nature is definitely beneficial to me.
ReplyDeleteThose missing shoes lol It does make me wonder...
I find nature is definitely a balm to my anxieties & I need to get out there more & wander some of the beautiful trails we have so close by.
DeleteThe pyramid is an interesting approach; may have to mull that concept over a bit. New neighbors could be fun - hopefully you get along splendidly.
ReplyDeleteI also thought the pyramid was an interesting exercise. Hopefully new neighbours are pleasant & respectful of others, it's all I'm asking/praying for at this point.
DeleteI've never heard of the pyramid idea before, but it sounds very interesting.
ReplyDeleteThose new neighbours sound like they could be just the kind of people you were hoping for! Not long to wait and get to know them better now.
Isn't it weird when you see just one shoe? Did someone else throw it out the car as they went down the road as a joke? Did it fall out of a backpack? The road at the bottom of the street where I used to work would often melt in extreme heat and there were times when I have seen one random flip flop welded into the tarmac, I guess someone tried to run across and then got one flip flop stuck!
A single flip flop stuck in the tarmac - now that is a weird one & I think finding that would be perfect for this SPSH's "oh the shoes" ...
DeleteNew neighbours can always have the potential to be tricky - fingers crossed for lovely people moving in next door!
ReplyDeleteI've printed off the scavenger hunt list but have yet to tick any of them off, although I do have one in mind.
I printed out the SPSH & posted on the frig so I would have to see several times a day - helps with the mojo (lol).
DeleteBeautiful clematis and iris. My nature pyramid would consist of the base layer (daily views and walks in the garden, checking on plants, feeding the local wildlife - birds, cats, possums, watching the butterflies, etc.) and the next level up (weekly watering of the plants, harvesting fruits and vegetables, etc.) The next level up might be the garden plans I have in mind (landscaping the parkway and the side yard, the additional fruit trees I want to plant, etc.) My pyramid doesn't have a top! Maybe it is a ziggurat! :D
ReplyDeleteI hope your new neighbors turn out to be friendly and quiet! But, if they do play loud music, you know you can always dance! :D
I think the nature pyramid would change with seasons for most people. I am thinking of it as more of a road map to motivate myself to explore outdoors again. Dancing is a good idea.
DeleteWe are having terrible storming as I type this and I can't give the nature pyramid idea the attention it needs. But I know I like the idea behind it. Will come back in the sunshine tomorrow to reread it.
ReplyDeleteLooking for the SPSH list. Afraid I am already behind.
I've reposted the list today - glad to hear you are joining in again. The Nature pyramid can be revisited any time.
DeleteLovely peachy iris! Good luck with the new neighbours. Are these the ones who had the car you approved of? I don't suppose you will really know till they have been installed for a little while.
ReplyDeleteYes hopefully nice neighbours, we have a "welcome to the neighbourhood" package for them, so that helps start off on the right note :) . My peachy iris did not bloom last year so I was most appreciative of the two blooms this year.
DeleteIt looks like my comment has gone missing. I had problems with lots of them yesterday. Have you checked your spam folder please?
ReplyDeleteEileen I did check, no spam comments that I can see/find.
DeleteI commented about the nature pyramid. I'll have a go and create my personal pyramid though I think I mostly fit into the bottom two layers. I'll have to give some thought to see how I can fill the rest.
DeleteHope the new neighbours turn out to be good friends or if not, at least friendly and reasonably quiet.
Thanks Eileen for reposting. I too hope for friendly neighbours, not that I want to be throwing dinner parties with them (lol). As for the nature pyramid I think I'm right now boarding on level 1 with a little foot into level 2. Although I almost do nothing but take photos of nature & not people (level 3 activity).
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