Why, 'The Nature Nurse'?

I love nature, do you? Whether it’s the feeling of tranquility from a day spent at the beach, the lullaby of crickets chirping on a warm summer night, petting fuzzy, lush-green moss growing around a tree stump, or the taste of sweet, luscious juice dripping down my chin after biting into a cantaloupe picked from the garden.  The list is endless.
 
You see, I grew up in the era of ‘go outside and play’, forty miles outside of New York City.  Back then you had to get up and change the channel on a television that only had a few show options and only during prime viewing hours.  Homes now mingle with trees on what were once endless acres of woods that we explored, played in, and shared with various critters that we often got to know. We created our own fun.  Our mothers screamed their bloody lungs out to get us to come back inside for dinner. Few of us were obese, we were always moving.
 
I still love nature and I now know that nature is good for us, not just fun.  The air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat and a quiet place to collect our thoughts-all comes from nature.  You would think we would all be flocking to the outdoors.  However, modern society is gravitating to tech, managed environments and store bought food.  I find myself lured into this new way of life as well.  Therefore, we need a more conscious approach to include nature in our daily life if we want to reap her benefits.
 
We all hear about climate change and many of us have now experienced some of its extreme effects-deadly hurricanes, polar vortex snowstorms, extreme heat and drought.  What we may not be so aware of is a growing human population (quickly nearing 7.4 billion at the time of this writing)  on a planet that sustained half as many people in 1970. Convenience is littering our planet with trash that is not biodegrading, killing wildlife and invading our food sources. We may need to consider shifting some things around-reexaming some of our behaviors, customs and priorities.
 
I love nature and created ‘The Nature Nurse’ (not a recognized nursing specialty, but maybe someday it will be) as a way to deepen my engagement with nature, join others who are already doing so and invite those who aren’t, and help nurse Mother Nature back to prime health. Florence Nightingale first linked the benefits of nature and healing stating, "put the person in the best condition for nature to act on him or her."  I would love for you to join me, no matter what level of engagement you already have with nature.  Let’s share ideas, stories, have fun and heal with nature.  Sign up for my weekly blog-let’s wander down this path together!

#Nature #Nursing #wellness #healing