We are always so thrilled to get such wonderful answers from our community, to our question ‘what’s your favourite thing to do in nature?'. We feel privileged to learn how some of our Koala Eco community like to connect with the healing and restorative power of the great outdoors, and we bet you do many of these things too.
Bush walking, yoga under the trees, being in the ocean, hiking in the hills, gardening, taking the dog for a walk…so many ways to find beauty and solace in nature. We wanted to share some of these wonderful messages with you.
Madeline goes walking ‘with other Palawa community, connecting, slowing down and listening to what’s around us. I love being able to learn new words in Palawa Kani as we walk along, learning names of plants, structuring sentences and calling out to Country to say Hello.’ Oorvi loves ‘forest bathing with my dog’ in order to ‘feel the energy of the trees, the gentle humming of the woods, and the soothing sound of bird call. Exploring how nature bends and folds.’
In common with many, Scott turns off all modes of tech on a long bushwalk, ‘taking in long breaths and the humbling, refreshing scent of nature.’ Ieva goes with the kids on a bushwalk, ‘enjoying all the little things on the way: the sound of the birds, counting all the different types of green we can see, seeing who can throw a rock the furthest.’ Indeed, many of you find that you can appreciate nature anew, simply by experiencing it through the wonder of your children or, as Steph describes, ‘watching how amazed my baby is when outdoors.’ Cassandra finds that her teen daughters ‘will often open up about their troubles on a nature walk, side by side.’
The way that nature helps with mental and physical wellbeing is a key message from just about everyone. Tanya and her 81-year-old father go running together ‘enjoying the scent of petrichor [the smell of the earth and trees after rain] and listening to the songs of lyrebirds.’ Zane’s daily bush walks ‘are a saviour for my mental health and help me connect with myself and my family after a hard day at work.’ Following a severe post-partum stroke, Ali spends a lot of time to regroup and recover in the Ebenezer Garden of Hope, a home garden project to cultivate peace and hope. Go well, Ali!
Being in the garden is clearly very important for many of you. As Bernie observes, ‘there is nothing quite like the smell of the freshly turned earth when gardening and planting some new seedlings. You feel at home in the garden.’
For others, there’s a sense of ritual and timing in your connection to nature. For Katie, every Sunday morning begins with a walk ‘starting in the dark. Then watching sunrise over the beach close to home.’ Andrea and Sean’s day ‘starts with 10mins in the sun to take in all the rays to start fresh’ followed by lunch together outside during work breaks. ‘We finish the day with a long walk on the nature track behind our property.’ For Dayle, the hour before night falls is when the magic happens, with ‘the scent, the sounds, birds off to bed, crickets and frogs waking up. Stars twinkling in the sky and exhale of another beautiful day on this beloved Earth.’ Justin also leans towards the end of the day, loving nothing better than ‘my family, a tent, a clear sky at night and telescope to view the stars.’
Whether ‘hanging off a cliff i.e. outdoor rock climbing’ (Alex) or ‘swimming in a dormant volcanic crater filled with rainwater’ (Sharon); ‘being touched on the side of my face by furry animal like especially a horse or a pooch outside in the green lush forest’ (Betty), ‘sitting outside barefoot on the grass’ (Freya) or simply ‘listening’ (Anne), everyone is attentive, ‘all senses open and embracing’ (Bel) ‘with the purpose of noticing the small things. Turning the autopilot off and being present in every step’ (Eleonora). Natasha describes how she sits by a river ‘watching the world slowly move and change around me. Light moving off the water as the time passes, the birds and bugs and fish that come and go, bubbles and ripples on the water. I lose hours like this.’
We’d agree there’s no better place to lose (and gain) a few hours than nature! Thank you all for your inspiring testimonies.
