Nature

So often, I think, that as adults we lose focus from some of the things that made most of us happy as kids.  We get so wrapped up in every day adult stuff, we forget to act like a kid every now and then.  Over the past few days I had the chance to act like a kid, and I relished every single moment of it.  I'd like to share some of these things, and help remind us all of simple ways that we can get back to the natural state of being happy.

In my previous post, Simple Blessing of Happiness, I talked about some of the simple things that make me happy, nature being one of them.  I love being outside.  Again, most kids I know can't wait to get out and run around.  But as adults, there are so many other things that end up demanding our daily attention, it's difficult for us to just drop our responsibilities and goof off.  May I suggest that for just a little while every day, we do just that.  We ignore the laundry, the dishes, the cat or dog, the mess on the floor, the paperwork, the food on the table (ok, that one maybe don't ignore... put the milk back in the fridge before you go play).  For just a short while every day, act like a kid.  Act as if your biggest concern is how many times you can run around the house.  Or how high you can swing.  Or how long you can blow air through the bubble wand.  Do this for just a little while, and everything else melts away.

• Stand barefoot in the grass.  I am a big believer in Mother Earth, and Mother Nature, and I believe that a good connection with both of them fosters an inner peace.  How often are you barefoot?  When you shower and when you sleep?  I am barefoot as often as I can be.  Get grounded with nature.  Stand barefoot in the grass and feel the blades tickling your toes.  Bury your feet in the sand or dirt and wiggle your toes until you break free.  Close your eyes and imagine yourself being one with the Earth. 
• Touch your toes to the sky.  In other words... swing!  My kids and I all love to swing.  I was on a swing the other day for the first time in I don't know how long.  I pumped myself up as high as I could go, put my head back, let the wind blow across my face and pointed my toes up as far as they would go.  I was 6 again, and it was beautiful!

• Play on a playground.  The same day I was swinging, my boyfriend's son was running around the rest of the playground.  There was another boy there, about his age, and although the two didn't know each other, they began playing together.  They chased each other around, climbed up the slides, slid down the slides, ran under the swings, and in, around and through every opening they could find. Bring your kids and make it a game to see who can touch every piece of equipment first.  Run. Swing. Spin.  Climb. Slide. Jump. Just get out and play.

• Get wet.  There is nothing quite as refreshing as a swim, whether it's in a pool, a lake or an ocean, or anywhere.  A swim is a swim is a swim, and I'll go swimming just about any chance I can get.  My boyfriend took his sons and I to his family's cabin in the Adirondacks, and we got to swim in the lake for a good part of the day over the weekend.  The youngest (the one who went to the playground) barely got out of the water.  It was a gloriously sunny and warm day, perfect to be in the water.  If swimming isn't an option for you, a sprinkler does the job almost as well.  The last time my kids had the sprinkler out, they were all drenched, head to toe, in about 2 minutes flat.  There is something spectacularly soothing about dipping into the water.  

• Become sun dried and sun ripened.  We realized a bit too late (as in, about half way to the Adirondack cabin) that we had brought 1 towel for the 4 of us taking the trip.  Oh well.  As I said, it was gloriously sunny out, so after splashing around in the water and giving the towel to the shivering, blue-lipped boy who was my water buddy, I laid out on the dock in the sun.  I don't know how long I was out there (I didn't look like a lobster, so it couldn't have been too terribly long), but I laid there long enough to dry off and warm up under the sun and get a little bit of color on my pasty-white skin.  This was my form of meditation.

• Find shapes in the clouds.  As I sat on the dock just before dusk, watching the sky begin to make it's shift into late-day, I noticed some large, whispy clouds with somewhat unusual patters.  They took up almost the whole sky, and I could make out a small round head, a flowing gown and 2 very large, outspread wings.  I was looking at a beautiful cloud angel.   And she was looking down at me.  I  watched her as she danced slowly across the sky and admired her for quite some time.  She made me feel very serene.  I try to look at the clouds with my kids whenever I can.  Being in the grass adds to the experience, but we do it from our seats in the car, too.  Another way to have fun with the kids, connect with Mother Earth and appreciate her beauty.  

• Let the Earth move you.  Another passive activity I engaged in while at the camp was sitting atop a jetski.  Yes, we actually rode on the jetski, too, but I enjoyed just sitting on it.  It was tied to the dock, so it couldn't go anywhere, but the waves and wakes from other boats and skis rocked it gently and it bobbed me back and forth as I sat in silence.  I laid my head back on the seat, propped my knees up against the handlebars, closed my eyes, and drank in the feel, smells and sounds of nature, doing what nature does best.  I could hear the birds singing, the wind through the trees, the motors of boats, the voices of my friends, the splash of the water and I felt magnificent.  

• Be a kid.  I've remembered what it's like to play like a kid again.  At the same time, I'm learning how to sit in perfectly still silence and relish everything around me.  To take in the sounds, sights, smells, feel and noises of the things that we would ignore as children, because we were too busy running around and being loud.  I like the combination of both.  

It's true, we all have responsibilities, and they won't go away (as much as we'd like them to) just because we're acting like we're 6 again.  Being young at heart won't take away the mortgage or rent payment, it won't pay your utility bill, it most likely won't solve any problems at work or at home, it won't cook dinner or make the kids stop fighting.  BUT... for just a few minutes each and every day, all these stresses can melt away.  We can focus on counting the bubbles, chasing your son around the playground or seeing if your daughter can reach her toes higher than you can reach yours.  Just those few minutes of pure pleasure is enough to lift up anybody's rotten mood, brighten up any spirit and make anyone smile.  Imagine how wonderful life would be if we could all do that for just a little bit every single day.  And so it is...