 Writing is a wonderful craft that allows us to share thoughts, information and maybe even inspire others in some way. It requires discipline, tenacity, and if we are to practice this craft long-term, self-care. The act of writing often requires long sessions of sitting, most often in front of a computer. Lucky for us, there is an antidote for the potential job hazards a writer may incur. It lies right outside our door. Let’s take a look at three, although there are many more reasons, we may want to stop what we are doing right now, or schedule breaks during our day, to go outside and take a walk. ONE: A walk outdoors can boost our creativity. A study comparing walking in different settings found that walking outdoors has the most beneficial impact on stimulating the free flow of ideas. Do you take a stroll in nature to enhance your writing? I know I do. I always venture outdoors and meander, or power walk around the neighborhood, or in a local park. The ideas that flow into my mind can be almost overwhelming at times. The ideas that I want to hold onto, I dictate into the Voice Memos app on my phone to record them in rough draft. Some, I transcribe later for various writing projects. TWO: Writing is generally a solo journey. Isolation and loneliness can be a side-effect. Walking outdoors often leads to contact with other people, which may present a chance to have a chat, especially if they have a cute puppy with them.  THREE: Taking steps in natural surroundings is good for our overall health. According the Center for Disease Control, one in four American adults sits for longer than eight hours every day. Our sedentary habit even has a new name, sitting disease, and has been called the new smoking. The American Heart Foundation outlines the many negative consequences of sitting and ways you can improve breaking the habit of prolonged sitting.
Does walking outdoors awaken your creativity? Share how in the comments section below. To learn more about how walking can enhance your health and well-being, I invite you to listen to this podcast, while you are outside taking your walk: The Joys and Benefits of Walking with no Destination from 1a. Don't stop there. Visit The Nature Nurse™, PLLC website where there are an enormous amount content on how engaging with nature can enhance your joy, and improve your holistic health. Be sure to sign up for our free e-newsletter.
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 Update July 30, 2021: In light of the CDC announcement today that the Delta Variant of the Covid-19 virus is highly transmissible, we continue to encourage you to get vaccinated if you are eligible, wear a mask indoors and outdoors if you are going to be close to other people not in your household. Please follow your local health recommendations. Covid-19 is spread through the air--think cigarette smoke. If you are standing close enough to someone that you could smell cigarette smoke if they were smoking, you need to have a mask on, and so do they. Stay Safe. Have you ever given a child a gift, only to find that they find more delight in playing with the box that the present came in? Many times it's simplicity that brings us joy. Whether it is a large cardboard box that ignites creative possibilities, or a sunflower field filled with thousands of sunflowers blooming together, simplicity has the power to turn down the volume in our brains and allows us to focus, relax, and connect. Across the United States this summer, sunflower fields are attracting people of all ethnicities, ages, genders, and socioeconomic status, to delight in the awesomeness of our natural world. Take a look: When humans have the opportunity to delight in the wonder of nature together, the differences between us seem to disappear. There is also an opportunity to educate about our environment. Take a look at these signs that were dotted along the sunflower field: Creating an environment that helps us all feel as one can be as simple as planting a seed, or maybe a few thousand. Perhaps you want to Google "sunflower fields near me" and experience this phenomenon for yourself. Let us know how it goes.  Credit: Thank you Dorothea Dix Park in Raleigh for planting this awesome sunflower field. As of this posting, you may still catch the tail end of the blooming, Visit DixPark.org for details.
Want to learn more about how to experience the Joy Of Nature? Enroll in our online workshop: Joy Of Nature Online Workshop  Despite being a lifelong gardener, there is always a seed of doubt in my mind that says, "that tiny seed you are planting in the soil will never grow." Maybe that notion is reinforced, because sometimes it’s true. But then there are sunflowers, which rarely disappoint as they break through the soil within days, and shoot up to the sky like Jack's beanstalk did. That instant gratification is so rewarding and excites me to continually go outside and see what has happened next in the seed's journey. The wobbly sprout adds leaves and within days, that stem turns into a sturdy stalk. Seemingly overnight, a head appears at the top, its face covered by scrunched up green petals. The lone flower holds its head high and tilts toward the sun, just as I do when I step outside on the first warm day of spring.  The magical part comes when I return home later in the day to find the sunflower has rotated its head to now face the west, as if to watch the sunset. By morning, it has turned again to greet the rising sun. Intrigued as to how and why it does that day after day, I looked to science to find an answer. According to researchers, young sunflower plants sun-tracking behavior (also called heliotropism) is due to their circadian rhythms-the behavioral changed tied to an internal clock that humans also have, which follow a roughly 24 hour cycle. Each of us has a circadian rhythm- a natural cycle of physical, mental, and behavior changes that our bodies go through over a 24-hour period. These rhythms are affected by light and darkness, and are controlled by our brains. They can affect how we sleep, our body temperature, hormones, appetite and many other functions. Could it be that modern day living has disrupted our natural circadian rhythm that once was in sync with nature? Does forcing ourselves to wake to the jolt of an alarm or exposing ourselves to light from screens long after the sun has set throw our body so out of whack that we are jeopardizing our health and well-being? Studies have indeed demonstrated this. The sunflowers story doesn't end with its dance with the sun. Soon their green petals unfurl, and then they extend their bright yellow petals like rays of the sun. Pollinators of all types indulge on the smorgasbord of pollen and nectar in the center. Within days, yet another transformation occurs-the uncovering of tightly knit seeds as the flower petals begin to wilt and fade; seeds that we may munch on, birds will dine on or maybe they will be the next generation of sunflowers for us all to enjoy. Reflecting on this dynamic show, which occurs over just a few weeks, causes me to pause and appreciate that what we need to bloom can be found in nature. Want to learn more about nature and it's role in our health and well-being? Sign up for our free periodic e-newsletter, subscribe to our blog, socialize with us on social media @TheNatureNurse, and check out all the awesome resources on our webpage: www.TheNatureNurse.com .
 Welcome to our new series, the magic of flowers. Aren't flowers magical? They walk with us down the aisle when we get married, they sit beside us on the hospital bedside table when we aren't feeling well, and they even surround and drape our coffin when we have passed on and our loved ones celebrate our lives. Flowers have the ability to draw us in and become fully connected to the present moment, creating a boundary to all our past and future thoughts. Flowers inspire awe and wonder. They are a reminder that a force other than us is at work. Watch how a flower slowly unfolds without any help from us. Sure we may plant the seed and water it, but it does all the rest in what seems like an effortless way, unhurried, in sync with the pace of the Universe in the same way that a surfer is able to catch and ride a wave. It does so in such a way we don't even see it move, but eventually it unfolds into its most magnificent state. Flowers are shipped from all over the world-California, roses from South America, gorgeous blooms coming from Holland, that is how much they essential to our lives. How many of us have become somewhat complacent about the presence and meaning flowers hold in our existence and they joy they bring to it? In this series, The Magic of Flowers, we are going to look at some ways that we may want to more consciously incorporate flowers into our lives so we can tap into the magic they offer during this turbulent time. As we attempt to emerge from the Covid-19 Pandemic that that has left many of us traumatized, grieving or searching for new meaning and connection, couldn't we all use a little magic and support? So, let's start this series by talking about Art in Bloom. Art in Bloom is a pairing of floral arrangements created by florists that further express what is already present in works of art at the North Carolina Museum of Art. The annual event has completed for 2021 so there won't be any spoiler alerts. This is, however, an opportunity to see one way that we can link this magic of flowers into our lives. Here are a few of the artistic arrangements and some of the artists statements on their interpretation of their creations in relation to the art. As you look at these, perhaps it will spark an idea in you. Maybe this is something your community could do at your local art museum, or at school in art class, or perhaps you have a painting in your home that you would like to create a floral arrangement to coincide with? Tap into the magic and see where it takes you! Would you like to see more of the Art In Bloom creations? Follow us on social media @TheNatureNurse where we will post more pictures. We hope you feel inspired and will connect with flowers in a new way. Subscribe to this blog so you don't miss the next blog in our The Magic Of Flower series.
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Author:Susan has published a two-novel series in which she includes her love of nature. I Know You're There & By The Sound Of The Crow Are Available on Amazon , Barnes & Noble and Most E-Reader Stores. Archives
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