Let Nature Restore You

Did you ever notice that when you fly in a plane that as the flight attendants give the emergency instructions they always tell you to put your oxygen mask on first and then attend to your children.

That makes sense, right?

Women who have too much to do for everyone else sincerely wish to be of service to others. But they often neglect to tke care of themselves first. They wish to see those they love and care for thrive and be whole and be the best they can be. They forget that in order to help others thrive and be whole and be the best they can be that they must first be thriving, whole and the best they can be. To be of the greatest service they must first put on their own oxygen mask and then attend to others.

How can you restore and replenish yourself for your own sake and for the sake of others?

The very first thing to do is to stop. Allow your body to be still. Take yourself outside and find an attractive place in which to be still. Ask permission to visit. Feel the consent, get comfortable, and just be still. Even if your mind is demanding and restless and urging you to "get things done" allow yourself to be still.

Give yourself 20 minutes of stillness at least once a day. And if you are feeling a bit on the wild side, go for 20 minutes of stillness twice a day.

When you are outside in a natural place and are still, you are being resychronized as you entrust yourself to the supportive and loving embrace of nature. Nature is the repository of the common ground of wholeness that you both share. She will replenish and rejuvenate you if you simply place yourself in her presence and allow yourself to be still letting her reconnect you with the wholeness that is inherent in both of you.

You don’t neccessairly have to do much else. Be there. Be still. And you will recognize again this common place of wholeness.

So many things are trying to turn you outward. It is important for you to find a way to turn inward. This inward turn is needed to reconnect with your intuitive, mysterious, magical, soft and brilliant side. It is the light of those qualities that will enable you to love, tend and care for those you wish to nurture into wholeness. This inward turn is what affords patience. It is what internalizes your focus. As you allow your energy to move inward and downward, you concentrate your power and become orderly and efficient as you hold your direction. Allowing your pace and rhythm to match that of the natural place surrounding you lets you experience your peace and wholeness.

Be still. Be patient. Be at peace. Be powerful.

"We have forgotten what we can count on. The natural world provides refuge…Each of us harbors a homeland, a landscape we naturally comprehend. By understanding the dependability of place, we can anchor ourselves as trees." --Terry Tempest Williams

Copyright (c) 2008 Mary Ann Copson