Tag: Nature

What Gardening Taught Me About Life

Every spring, I take a trip to buy some beautiful flowers to plant in my garden. I always debate over buying annuals or perennials and somehow, I always end up going with annuals. Seeing my flowers come back every year would be nice and a money-saver, however, there is something special about going to pick out different varieties and color combinations each year.

Around the middle of May, when frost is no longer a threat, I go out to the garden and dig up the dirt, remove any weeds, trim the bushes and plants, and then lay down a fresh layer of new dirt. Once this is all done, I head to the store to bring home the flowers!

Pure Happiness

Flowers, plants, and just gardening in general bring me so much joy, it is so therapeutic! I find so much peace while being in nature and digging through the earth. The beauty of nature is indescribable, it is amazing and always leaves me in awe!

My beloved grandmother adored gardening as well as my aunt, maybe I got the passion from them! I tend to go overboard with wanting many plants and flowers, but space is limited, so I just pick out three or four of the flowers that strike me the most.

A Reminder

A week ago I planted my garden! I dug a deep hole in the fresh dirt and then squeezed the sides of the plastic flower pot that it came in to wiggle the flower and its roots out. I then placed the flower inside the hole and covered it up with fresh dirt, making sure to pack the dirt all around the sides to secure the plant in place. I did this with all of the flowers and once I was done, it was time to give them a shower! I took the garden hose and sprayed them down, giving them a good soaking of water.

It is amazing how we are reminded of certain aspects of life and ourselves as we go about our daily lives. When I was gardening, I had a deep thought cross my mind. The combination of the dirt, soil, and sun allows the flower to flourish. Without these basic necessities, the flower would not be able to live and thrive to its fullest potential.

The dirt and sun are there daily; however, water is not a guarantee. When it rains, the flowers get plenty of needed water, but when there are days or a week without rain, I need to water them myself. To a point, the flowers have to rely on me to take care of them.

Application

So, how does this apply to human life? When we are given positive surroundings and the means to survive, we flourish. When we have fresh air, water, food, shelter, love, and money to make ends meet, we can live comfortably. Just like the flowers that have their own requirements, when ours are met, we can blossom into the beautiful people that we are.

Just like flowers need to rely on someone to water them when the rain is absent, we may also need to lean on others for support.

If we are not happy and not thriving, it might be helpful to look at the conditions in which we live. Some can be changed, and others cannot for the time being, but the answer may lie here. As human beings, when we are happy, it generally means that our needs are being met!

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Nature’s Magical Playground

There’s one house of many that I grew up in that holds a lot of meaning for me. There are so many memories and fun times that my sister and I shared as young children.

I can remember each of the homes and I enjoyed several things about each of them, but one, in particular, was a magical little house that had “everything” growing in the backyard!

The Details

All that my sister and I had to do was step outside in our backyard and there were so many things to do and so many natural resources that we found plenty of creative ways to have fun!

To the left of our backyard was a willow tree. These trees are known for their very long vine-like leaves. My sister and I used to tie two of the “vines” together with a large knot on each side and turn it into a swing! We would swing back and forth just as we did a normal swing, however, this one felt so magical because we were swinging from a tree! We were amazed that it could hold our body weight. Have any of you ever made a swing from a weeping willow?

Walking a little bit over to the right there was the most random patch of bamboo! We didn’t live in an area that usually had bamboo, so someone who previously owned the home must have planted it. The stalks were incredibly high, they shot straight up towards the sky. My sister and I made a homemade fishing pole once out of one of the bamboo stalks!

Walking a little further down there was an apple and pear tree. The fruits were much smaller and not as juicy or sweet as the kind that you find in the grocery store. The apples and pears were so small, and they did not taste like a typical apple or pear. They were tasty nonetheless! My sister and I experimented with making homemade applesauce and we even tried to make a pear pie!

Nature’s Playground

Fast-forward to today and although I don’t have any of these interesting trees in my backyard now, nature still always has a way to bring magic into my life.

Nature has always been my happy place; it renews me every time I step foot outside.

Not only is nature amazing, beautiful, and relaxing, there are many resources that we can get from nature. It is an endless playground!

My First Time Camping Overnight Was My Last

Many years ago, I was finally about to experience my first camping trip. I had always wanted to see what camping was all about. There are always fun stories being shared and so much to do, it was something that I wanted to try.

There was a group of us at work that were talking about taking a weekend trip to the mountains a couple of hours away. A few of them had been to this particular campground before, so they knew the ins and outs, which made me even more comfortable. We were all so excited and ready for an adventure in the mountains!

I Double-Checked

I am a very anxious person. I have been told time and time again that I hide it well because people are shocked to hear me say that I am always anxious. I feel like I am all over the place, but from outward appearance, I guess that is not the case.

Anyway, given me and my anxiety, I double, triple, and quadruple-checked where we would be staying the night on our camping trip. I was told by one of the gentlemen going on the trip that we had all chipped in to get a cabin.

I was relieved to hear the word cabin because you would never find me sleeping outdoors in just a tent, I would be terrified! We all made food and packed paper plates, napkins, and plastic utensils. We made sure to bring enough snacks, water bottles, and some delicious desserts.

The Day Had Come

The plan was for me to pick up one of my friends that I worked with, and we were going to drive down to the campground together. The other people in the group were all going to meet up and drive together and we would all meet there.

Excitement was all that you could see on my face as I drove to pick up my friend and head to the campground for my first camping experience. We had a blast together listening to music and talking. About two hours later, we made it to the camp!

Our Friend Gave Us a Tour

We unloaded most of our belongings. The view was breathtaking, we were deep into the woods, surrounded by large hills, a lake, and a little Visitor’s Center. Our friend, who we will call Dave, was the guy that knew this place like the back of his hand, so we let him tour us around.

Our first stop was the outhouse, I had never used one before, but that was about to change. It had a burning candle, smelled horrendous, and a small roll of toilet paper lay on top of the wooden board.

Next up was the cabin. As we approached the cabin, my jaw dropped in shock, and then the fear set in. Yes, this was a cabin, but it was not the type of cabin that I had in mind.

This cabin was completely open on both sides! The front and back had a wooden frame that you could walk through, there was no door. The windows had no glass. Technically, in my eyes, this was worse than a tent, because at least with a tent there is coverage all around. This was completely open!

Panic Set In

One of my worst fears is being outside in the dark, it never used to bother me, but it creeps me out to no end now that I am older. Maybe I have watched too much TV, but all that I can think about is wild animals attacking me, or even humans with bad intentions approaching me. There goes my anxiety again.

I tried to get myself together and I was determined to make the most out of my trip. I asked my friend if he would take us to explore the fun adventures that this campground had to offer, and I thought that maybe it wouldn’t be as bad as I pictured it in my mind. I can do this, I thought to myself.

We Got Our Feet Wet

There was so much to explore here! We went hiking up the large dirt hills and we found fossils. We couldn’t believe the shell prints that we found in some of the rocks. There was a lake nearby, we went out on the water in Dave’s boat. He did some fishing and we all just sat and enjoyed the sun, fresh air, and the beauty that surrounded us.

We got into some camping activities and Dave taught me how to use a slingshot, I had never used one before. It was just for fun, and I was aiming it at the lake, but I’ll never forget that. Also, one of the other people with us was showing us how to melt glass in the campfire. It would come out in the oddest shapes and reminded me of dried maple syrup.

After all of the fun, we were hungry and thirsty. We decided to unwind for the night with some good food. We sat around talking and laughing, sharing stories as we made s’mores by the campfire.

I had finished my dinner and I saw a bag full of plastic water bottles and I put my paper plate in that bag. I then heard one of my friends yell “stop!” I had never camped before, and I was completely unaware that even plates with no food left on them will attract bears, not to mention other animals because of their incredible sense of smell. Anything with a trace of food on it needed to be burned in the fire. I was mortified to hear that bears were even this close to us, I guess I shouldn’t have been, considering this was a mountain.

I Was Being Tested

My first trip to the outhouse was a memorable one. The smell was so foul, and I shared my little space there with flies and even a few spiders.

 We had spent so much time enjoying the campground that I hadn’t even checked my phone, but nightfall was approaching. I went to get my phone out of the car and to my surprise, there was no service. We were so far into the mountains that our phones didn’t work. I started to worry, there was no way that we could reach out or have anyone reach us.

My heart was racing at the fact that we were all about to spend the night in a wide-open “cabin” and the thought of not having any service just made me feel incredibly uncomfortable. What if we needed help?

Nightfall

Night had come and it was time to lay down in our “beds” made of blankets. The campground was very dark, some lampposts were overlooking the lake which gave us some light and we had some very dim lighting around the cabin area itself, but the majority of the area was like looking out into a sea of darkness.

All that I could imagine was an animal coming down from the woods or out of the lake and stepping foot inside our cabin. After all, there was nothing there to stop them. We were fresh meat. The first part of the night was quiet. That was about to change.

I Will Never Forget the Noises

Sleeping on a campground, at least this one, was incredibly noisy. I was scared out of my mind and my heart was racing the entire night. I didn’t sleep a wink between hearing the bullfrogs in the lake, and the footsteps of animals that I couldn’t even see. I could hear some sort of animal trying to get into the trash can. I just kept praying for our safety. I kept hearing an animal make a grunting noise and I could hear heavy breathing.

The sounds still play in my head today, I was completely mortified. I felt so vulnerable, and I was truly afraid for my life. It is somewhat funny now looking back on it, but it sure was not funny at that moment.

This Trip Taught Me Something

I have gone on many camping trips during the day since this one, however, after that night I vowed to never spend the night again on a campground. Half the fun is missing when you don’t spend the night, but the fear that I felt that night will prevent me from ever doing it again.

I did learn a lot from this trip. I was forced to face my fears that night. Yes, I was completely uncomfortable, and as difficult as that was for me when the sun had risen the next morning, I felt like I had won. I faced a massive fear of mine.

I was upset at Dave for not being completely honest with me about the layout of the cabin, but I know that if he was, I would have never gone. All of the fun memories that we made during that trip wouldn’t have happened. I will cherish those memories for the rest of my life. Besides the experience at night, this camping trip was one of the most amazing experiences that I have ever had with an amazing group of people.

I Miss You, Dave

Sadly, Dave passed away a few years ago. My heart still breaks, I have so many memories of him and his passion for life. I will never forget the night that he pushed me to face my fears, the night that he showed me what I can learn about myself and life if I just live a little and not let my anxiety get the best of me. I will never forget the night that Dave believed in me when I didn’t even believe in myself. I miss you, Dave. Thank you for all that you taught me.

Spring into Nature

     With spring right around the corner, I felt compelled to write a blog post dedicated to the lovely nature that surrounds us.  I have been in love with nature and its beauty ever since I was a little girl.  I love the sight, smell, memories, and the way that nature makes me feel.  Nature has a way of refreshing my soul and making me feel recharged.  It makes me feel even that more connected to the Lord, the One that created me.

       No matter what kind of day I’ve had, no matter what kind of mood I’m in, all it takes is a walk in the neighborhood, sitting out on the deck, or riding in the car with the windows down to relax me.  There’s something about nature’s tranquility that helps me refocus and be at peace.

       I live in an area that experiences all four seasons and each one of them is special in its own way.  Winter reminds us to be still and cozy up to the ones and the things that we love, spring renews us with its warmth and lets us watch the world unfolding around us as life blossoms everywhere.  Summer holds some of the most fun and relaxing memories, it makes us feel so alive and lastly fall cools us off with its refreshing breeze and paints the world full of color as the leaves change.  Nature is absolutely beautiful and offers us so much to enjoy.

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          Some of my favorite memories are ones outside with loved ones.  I will never forget all of the beach trips, carnivals, pumpkin patches, sledding, hikes, camping trips, gardening, the list is endless.  We can get so busy with life that sometimes we may not take the time to enjoy our surroundings.  There are so many benefits to reap.  Nature is my go-to for relaxation, happiness, reflection, and clarity.

      As spring approaches us, gather a list of things that you would like to do as the weather gets warmer.  Make time for yourself, smell the flowers, feel the sun on your skin, breathe the fresh air, feel the dirt beneath your feet.  Nature is an endless discovery!

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