Simple things give us joy, solace, and peace. Nature, with its enduring ties, restores us even when we do not know what we seek.
Walking outside when the smell of rain is carried by the breeze as clouds gather on the horizon.
Wrestling in my garden with the fruits, vegetables, herbs, and flowers, keeping them in order and satiated.
Finding a cozy spot with an irresistible book to read while the windchimes and songbirds compose a tune.
What do all of these things have in common? They are simple things, to be sure. But it is these simple things that bring me joy, give me solace, and grant me peace. I can find any of the three in those specific activities.
Joy, solace, and peace are odd bedfellows and typically not all found in the same activity. So how is it that I do?
The truth is that these three overlap in a Venn diagram type of way. There is joy in peace, peace in solace, and solace in joy. And yes, there are times that all three come together to form a bond—joy, solace, and peace all rolled up into one.
Nature tends to be my primary go-to for all things relating to this world. And is it any wonder?
The roots of a tree grounding it within the earth mirror the branches that stretch their limbs ever upward. Our nervous system alerting us to all things sensory, when mapped through the body, is a complex of interconnected roots and branches. The lightning that flashes through the sky, illuminating the dark with its power and might, illustrates a nervous system.
Follow the thread and you will see the ties that bind.
We may find beauty and knowledge in the man-made parts of our world, but our beginning and end is tied within the story of the natural world.
Going to the source, if you will, is restoring and regenerative.
Even when you do not know what it is that you seek.
When your life is out of balance.
When a bubbling of emotions overwhelms.
When you cannot identify definitively what plagues you.
Nature awaits.
It requires no fee, no sentences, no prerequisites.
Just your presence.
While solace and peace may have first beckoned,
There is now room for joy.
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