My decision to bring NATURE on board as a teaching partner for my LIFE COACHING was due to the many simple, yet profound life lessons I have learned through our communion over the years.
When we amble through forests we can step over decaying trees, maybe cross rugged streams, encounter rocks worn away by time or come across a charred trunk turned black from fire. We see nature as it stands or falls, we see the beautiful, the broken, even the ugly…..and we appreciate it. We accept that is how it is. We understand and we don’t question or apply negative thoughts to what we see.
Yet…in our own species, we lose all that and the judging mind steps in when we start to see others and ourselves differently, looking for flaws, finding fault, becoming critical of who we are and then judging others by our own standards.
In the last five years I have had the privilege of discovering and exploring some of the most pristine and untouched wild places and the lessons I have learned from being in nature, have taught me much about myself.
Nature has pushed me beyond my limits and often dragged me out of my comfort zones. I’ve hiked, kayaked, scaled rock faces, climbed mountain summits and faced precarious situations out in the wild that left me weak and forced me to evaluate my reasons for putting myself at risk.
I got ill but had to will myself better; I nursed bruises and battered limbs from occasional mishaps; I learned amazing skills and met like-minded people; I ventured alone in solitude which at times overwhelmed me; I cried with elation and at times when emotions made more sense; I yearned for intimacy at the end of a long and arduous day, and I longed for the company of another with whom I could share my setbacks and triumphs.
I’ve accepted that through experience and experimenting in nature, I found my strengths and I discovered what excites me, scares me or challenges me. I know now that to aim for the highest point is not the only way to climb a mountain. That it’s about going into the hills aimlessly, merely to be there in their presence.
I’ve come to understand that in the wild there’s practical wisdom which parallels psychological wisdom because you find your way and learn how to live ‘unlost’ not through the wild forest but within it. And I’ve witnessed that what is wild can also be gentle and kind.
Most importantly, it is in these wild places I have found the ME that thrives when my wings are spread; the ME who needs to move, experience and explore; the ME who has come to realise that the world won’t fall apart when I stop to put the need to please others above everything else; the ME who knows she’s just completely fine being herself.
Nature teaches us to be present for ourselves. For our thoughts and emotions as well as our actions. She shows us how to value ourselves, who we are, what we think and feel, and how we grow. She presents herself so we can experience the world around us through her, with the magic and the mysteries she unfolds.
If we can look at others and ourselves in the same light as we do nature, we can learn to be more accepting and less critical, more loving and less judgmental, more authentic, and by being so, find a meaningful connectedness with others and the world around us because nature can be a gateway to what is really important.