EVERYBODY NEEDS BEAUTY AS WELL AS BREAD

Photo by Nilanka Sampath on Pexels

“Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where Nature may heal and cheer and give strength to body and soul alike.” —John Muir 

AN ACCIDENTAL NATURE IMMERSION

I never intended to become an orchid grower, but my fate was sealed when John Stanton, the owner of Orchid Trail Greenhouses, decided to retire. Either I would have to move my dozen orchid plants to a faraway greenhouse or care for them at home. John and his team had tended our plants during the months between bloom periods; now the responsibility for keeping them healthy and producing long-lasting beautiful flowers was going to be mine. While loading the plants in my car, a staff member gave me the best advice ever by suggesting that I join the local orchid society and attend their next meeting.  

Maybe it was serendipity, but over the next few months highly qualified speakers gave photo-filled presentations on orchid-cultivation topics exactly when I needed them. For instance, the week that my plant’s stems became dotted with a white cotton-like film, the lecture on pest control confirmed mealy bugs as the likely cause. Subsequent talks covered other topics I needed to learn about, such as the orchid’s light and temperature needs, watering and fertilizing schedules, growing media, and special requirements.

Of the fifty plus attendees I don’t think anyone took as many notes as I did. I wish I could report that all the plants prospered—they did not. But I had several that bloomed during the year, and the rest look strong.

CONTENTMENT AND COMPOSURE

While I always looked forward to learning from the society’s meetings, I was more struck by the contentment and composure we all seemed to radiate at the end of each photo-filled lecture and discussion. During one of the evening meetings, it dawned on me that I had observed this same phenomenon among attendees of the High Health Network’s nature practice workshops in which they spent twenty minutes viewing a series of colorful nature photographs. The workshop’s aim was to illustrate how contact with nature could improve our attention, mental focus, and emotional composure, and I was pleasantly surprised that these same benefits arose during the orchid society’s nature-filled meetings. These two experiences confirmed findings that nature observers and researchers have been extolling for years.

GREEN IS GOOD FOR US

Scholars and sages often characterize nature’s uplifting and energizing effect on our human experience. For example, neurologist Oliver Sacks writes, “All of us have had the experience of wandering through a lush garden or a timeless desert, walking by a river or an ocean, or climbing a mountain and finding ourselves simultaneously calmed and reinvigorated, engaged in mind, refreshed in body and spirit.” Other scientists have found that even brief contact with nature improves mental performance and lowers stress levels.

While their effects may not be obvious initially, walking by a stream, viewing nature photos, or attending a plant-focused lecture are experiences that enhance our mental capacity and overall well-being. Because activities like these are so simple, it is easy for us to miss their significance. But the more we learn about their benefits and the more first-hand experiences we have with them, the more compelling the case becomes for regularly engaging with nature.

EVERYBODY NEEDS BEAUTY AS WELL AS BREAD

There are many ways to begin or boost our personal nature practices. Just noticing the springtime flowers and trees blooming in March can be an easy first step. Experiencing nature virtually can be as powerful as orchid society meetings and nature workshops and as easy as viewing the short nature video below, which is also readily accessible, low calorie, and gluten free.

A better example of a small investment of time yielding a large well-being profit would be hard to find. Start with the video below and contact us to find countless other ways to grow and sustain your nature practice. Not only will you’ll be glad you did, you’ll wish you had found them sooner.

Joyce M. Young, MD, MPH
Managing Director, Advanced Wellness Systems
Lead Expert for the High Health Network

Restore Attention With Nature

Sincerely,

Your colleagues at Advanced Wellness Systems