I was dancing for joy, singing out around the house in complete bliss. That was the day that it first sprouted. Maybe this makes me a little crazy, but I get completely happy, ecstatic when I see new growth on one of my trees or plants. There’s just something, dare I say, beautiful about life. The delicate baby leaves start to uncurl and open towards the sun like little fingers grasping at the heat of that holy ball of fire. The small leaves uncurl and grow bigger and bigger each day. I grew my mandarin orange tree from seed and now it’s around 4 years old and I feel attached to its life, nurturing it since day one. I remember when I first transplanted it, taking it away from its glass terrarium and letting it breathe the air I breathe. The fresh black soil with interchanging layers of nutrients painted my hands as I filled the large pot. I opened the large glass jar and grabbed the delicate plant while digging my fingers into the soil to take all the roots with, not risking too much damage in the transition. I literally uprooted this little guy from his home and placed him into new surroundings. I remember the ups and downs of not knowing whether the little guy could survive the changes. Plants go through shock just as animals do with a change within their environment, but this little guy survived and continues to grow each day. And when a green branch broke, I smeared honey around it and it began to heal.
We aren’t that different from our plants. We too need time to heal, whether it be the healing of our hearts, the healing of our minds, or the healing of our bodies.
The pandemic seemed to wipe across the world, people started to be more conscious of germs; wash their hands, wear masks, practice social distancing. Hugs and togetherness seem to be a thing of the past and time seems to slow down, days seem like they don’t end from one to the next. Many of us have lost our jobs or work from home. The world seems to be contained within our houses and the rest of the world seems to be out of our grasp as we stretch towards it and try to claim it once again. And while some people are binge-watching their days away, I crave that sun just as others who love nature do. I hear that call to the outdoors and yet I force myself to stay and abide that 6-feet apart from friends. That’s not to say that I haven’t binge-watched my fair share of shows on Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, Disney+, etc. I rather enjoy the tranquility of the outdoors, the silence that fills the streets. I enjoy that I can actually hear wildlife in my own neighborhood. And while I do wish that I would go outside and hike new places, I’ve realized that I’ve been missing out on some of the wildlife that lives around my house. I stay behind these walls for the same reasons others are staying behind their walls. On the days when the weather isn’t very nice and I want an adventure, I watch Nat Geo on Disney+. I decide where I want to go and the rest is like taking a hike. Shows like these are nature lovers’ next best thing if they can’t go outside and experience nature. The vivid colors as we are guided through Yellowstone National Park. The whirling rainbow of orange, yellow, green, blue, and white waters of the geysers; the fuzzy brown buffalo roaming around that I feel familiar with because I’ve seen so many in person while I was in South Dakota. And suddenly, my mind is able to associate my own memories of nature to the images that I’ve seen. I can almost feel the moist air and speckles of water land on my face while I look at the beautiful waterfall. On the nicer days, I open my windows and even venture a little outside. But who knew that we would come upon a day when the riskiest outdoor adventure would not be the animals and plants along the journey, but the people we interact with? But if you could choose one thing to isolate with, why couldn’t it be nature?
This is our chance, our chance to take those extra moments to stop and admire those little purple, white, and yellow flowers that paint themselves along the path, smell the aromas of the air with tart hints of wild berries and sweet vanillas and faint citrus, and watch as the birds weave themselves across the sky and listen to them sing from their souls. What’s not to love? If you look close enough to the ground, you can see caterpillars start to crawl across the ground. Remember when you were a child looking at all of this, were you in awe? I’ve never lost that sense of amazement. I love to look around and watch as butterflies start to emerge, their swift flutters glide them through the air as they land on one flower and then the next. Bumblebees, fuzzy and adorable, emerge themselves. They glide across, close to the ground as they look for flowers. It feels as though I’m watching a stop motion of them and they wiggle themselves into their own bliss, between the petals of newly opened flowers.
I am absolutely in love with nature and I’m not above laying on the green ground, looking up at the sky, admiring the perfect balance of beaming sun and bright blue hues. I remember those days in which I went camping and came upon the occasional tick and even though that’s one aspect of nature I could deal without, I’m wishing that I could adventure out in that nature again. It’s been cold, snowy, rainy, a few nice warm days, but also just a few days ago we had sleet that laid itself against the ground like snow. I never thought I’d grow tired of snow, but I guess when you spend your days wishing that you could do more, be outside, be anywhere but within those protective walls that will no doubt save you if you spend more time within them, I still need out. It’s funny how even when you appreciate something that you love, you truly never appreciate it enough. I guess that can be said about anything you love in life. With nature, you learn to fall in love with something new each year as the snow melts, plants grow, and wildlife starts to dance and race across the freshly green grounds.
I used to spend weeks of summer in South Dakota. The smell of sweet grasses and wildflowers filled the air. When it rained, the air became fresh with painted tones of sweetness and vanillas. My lungs would empty out and vacuum up the aromas. Breathing in the citrus sunlight each morning when I would wake, letting the beams hit my skin as I watched the deer in the fields. Their eyes met mine as they ate the sweet wild grasses. Warm deep brown eyes that were similar in shade to my own with top eyelashes that curled perfectly on their face, they could have run, but both of us stayed perhaps in curiosity or perhaps because we found no threat. Every morning these deer would make their way across town to gather in this field to graze before the heat of the day.
It’s hard sometimes to realize that even nature like this could be taken away. People forget sometimes that our actions can impact the world. For people, our biggest concern and the most dangerous opponent is the Coronavirus aka COVID-19, the virus that first made its appearance in 2019. For animals and nature, their biggest concerns are climate change and humans. And for them, our social distancing is their current hero. There is even talk about this virus causing climate change to reverse. Perhaps we can take this difficult experience and learn from it, learn from what nature is telling us. Just a few years ago, fears started spreading about the last bumblebees. I had a lot of bumblebees at my house who loved to drink nectar from the abundance of flowers in pinks, whites, yellows, blues, oranges, reds, purples that grew outside. In fact, I rely on the bumblebees and other nectar drinking animals to pollinate my flowers, especially the pinkish-white blossoms on the apple and peach trees.
Can you imagine never seeing some of these animals ever again…it’s not something unrealistic, we’re currently involved in a mass extinction as we speak. Not too long ago the last northern white rhino died. But in more recent times as humans are forced to stay indoors, it seems as though nature is healing. In Venice, the canal waters have become clear. Wildlife has started to reclaim open areas across the world. Deer roam the streets in packs, birds take back the beaches, fish populate, at least 11 extinct animals are no longer considered extinct, so much wildlife in areas that were once bare. But that’s not to say that we can’t enjoy nature still. We can still hike on our own or with household members and find a new appreciation for nature. We can walk along paths without a hurry. Breathe in those aromas, let nature wrap around you, absorbing all thoughts, leaving your mind to echo across the sky in complete harmony.
19 Replies to “Blissfully Aware”
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Hello Freebies!
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-Nichelle
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Hello Fashion Beauty!
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-Nichelle
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Hello Crave Freebies!
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-Nichelle
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Hello!
Thank you so much! I’m so happy to hear!
-Nichelle
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Hello!
I’m sorry to hear that your comment disappeared. Each comment is typically sent to me for approval once submitted, so there’s a chance it will show up once I approve it. Thank you so much! I’m happy to hear that you enjoy my blog!
-Nichelle
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Hello!
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-Nichelle
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