I have been reading Your Brain On Art (Susan Magsamen and Ivy Ross) and it reminds us of the importance of getting back to nature. Get out of the towers and go for a stroll in the park and your mind will calm down and your spirit will be uplifted. So that is what I have been doing during these August weeks both in the countryside of Nova Scotia and the farm fields of Prince Edward County. Pursuing slow time—expansive time—kairos time.
To that end allow me to share some passages from their insightful book to prod you to get into nature and be refuelled in these closing weeks of summer:
“The ultimate enriched environment is nature. Nature is the most aesthetic of places, because it is our original home”.
“A positive movement is happening all over the world: a surge in new public parks and spaces, where nature meets art. In Japan, immersion in nature for mental well-being is called shinrin-yoku or forest bathing. Early studies, beginning in 2015, show that delving into nature helps mitigate anxiety and raise positive outlooks. “When one ponders humans existing less than 0.01% of the species’ history in modern surroundings and the other 99.99% of the time living in nature, it is no wonder some humans yearn and are drawn back to where human physiological/psychological functions began and were naturally supported.” (Susan Magsamen and Ivy Ross, Your Brain on Art: How the Arts Transform Us)
My take aways:
If possible go for a walk in a forest (forest bathing). Stroll along a sandy beach. Take an early morning dip in a clear, cold Canadian lake. Engage your five senses and breathe in the fresh air. As you do be grateful to the Giver of all good gifts that rain down from heaven above.
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