Humble note from the Blog’s Intern
Due to the unprecedented, severe Covid-19 crisis in India & the author’s role on the Board of NGO’s, she will be taking a short break from the Blog. Team’s working on the ground to create crisis management plans for patients needing urgent hospitalisations or home-care support.
Thanks, much appreciated. Stay safe.
Email: Tired of trying hard at work & home. No idea what to do? (Japan)
Empathetic. Sometimes, we feel stuck in a cycle of ‘trying‘ too much. Everywhere, people including me, are rushing to the next moment. ‘Not trying‘ hard is seen as the worst.
But, there’s a beautiful lesson in nature. Does a cherry tree try to blossom? Does a lotus bud in a lake rush to bloom? No. It just is. Flows. Allows. Why are we always trying so hard? Maybe because there’s a sense that the present moment – ‘now‘ is not okay, not enough. An underlying restlessness that wants more quickly. More knowledge, more impact, more acknowledgement. Overwhelming.
Ironically, when we are truly present, aware & responsive, everything is natural. The key is letting go of excessive expectations & stress. Storms get tired too, so gracefully hold on. Stay open to this moment ‘as it is’. Breathe. Believe with self-compassion. We may feel a little more alive, peaceful & balanced. Let’s not try too hard. What does it feel like when we stop rushing moments? Allow this moment to be just as it is.
Maybe, something new emerges? A creative way of seeing things. An insight. An instinct. An intent. An inspiration. Vitality. Clarity. A wise way forward.
Sunrise stroll. Breezy. Our world is animated by the wind. This invisible force brings any landscape alive. It’s absence casts a stillness. On barren mountain tops, at forests & seas it’s presence becomes manifest. A wild & pristine energy.
Reflecting on nature of the wind, see inter-connected nature of all things. Billowing gusts that ripple waters, makes rag-dolls of trees. The beauty of wind is in it’s dynamism. One minute it lifts a place, the next there’s a lull. In a more rambunctious form, it’s a monster’s roar. Similarly, our energy ebbs & flows. We have moments of high energy & output, other times of rest & renewal.
When it blows, the air tattoos surface of canals & lakes, pretty patterns of rhythm’s into liquid. Trees bow as leaves, buds & branches dance to it’s music. Forests roll around in harmonious circles sending secret signals to the clouds. Innocently waving to the skies & stars above.
Often, we see through space. Don’t notice air as much as earth, fire or water. An empty & invisible space. Yet, it’s this space that holds everything. Nurturing & allowing all things to just be.
The wind speaks to us through sensations & sounds. Feel it’s presence through our skin & breath. A soft hug, a gentle caress on the cheek, deep breathing. Brings unique scents & aromas. Love the pause between gales, the stillness, the silence. Feel it’s firmness & flow. Can we invite this awesome energy into our own lives? Can we be as amazing as the wind – flowing, firm & free? To spread our wings & fly? The wind is an energy that calms our mind, blowing worried thoughts & stressful feelings away. What a mysterious, life-giving phenomenon.
Slow down to watch 50 nature stories that create calm & foster mindfulness. All around us, nature is working wonders. Every day, hour by hour, magical transformations happen right in front of us. But, it’s not always easy to see them. In a beautiful collection, 50 moments in nature are paused for us to watch them in detail. To explore, see what treasures we can find when we take the time to slow down. Gorgeously illustrated to celebrate small wonders happening all around, each day.
Slow Down: 50 Mindful Moments In Nature – Amazon
Showcases the work of world’s leading nature photographers, The Life & Love of the Forest is a breathtaking visual tour of our most remarkable woodlands. Lewis Blackwell takes us on an extraordinary journey with essays that explore the science & incredible histories of everything from seedlings, thickets, underbrush to the extraordinary trees themselves. Captures the beauty of vibrant, fascinating landscapes, celebrates the spectacular, stunning splendour of forests around the world.
The Life & Love Of The Forest – Amazon
Read Think Again, in one go. Inspiring & insightful.
“This is the right book for right now. Yes, learning requires focus. But, un-learning & re-learning requires much more. In Think Again, Adam Grant weaves together exciting research & storytelling to help us build the intellectual & emotional muscle we need to stay curious enough about our world” – Brené Brown.
Think Again – Amazon
Think Again is a great read for anyone who wants to create a culture of learning & exploration, whether at home, work or school. Intelligence is usually seen as our ability to think & learn. But, in a rapidly evolving world, there’s another set of cognitive skills that may matter more. Our ability to re-think & un-learn.
Organisational psychologist Adam Grant is an expert on opening our minds. With bold ideas & rigorous evidence, investigates how we can embrace the joy of being wrong, bring nuance to conversations. The aim is to build schools, work-places, communities of life-long learners. Think Again reveals we don’t have to believe everything we think or internalise everything we feel. An invitation to prize mental flexibility. If knowledge is power, knowing what we don’t know is wisdom.
When loud by landside streamlets gush,
And clear in the greenwood quires the thrush,
With sun on the meadows,
And songs in the shadows,
Comes again to me,
The gift of the tongues of the lea,
The gift of the tongues of meadows.
Straightway my olden heart returns,
And dances with the dancing burns,
It sings with the sparrows,
To the rain and the (grimy) barrows,
Sings my heart aloud,
To the silver-bellied cloud,
To the silver rainy arrows.
It bears the song of the skylark down,
And it hears the singing of the town,
And youth on the highways,
And lovers in byways,
Follows and sees,
And hearkens the song of the leas,
And sings the songs of the highways.
So when the earth is alive with gods,
And the lusty ploughman breaks the sod,
And the grass sings in the meadows,
And the flowers smile in the shadows,
Sits my heart at ease,
Hearing the song of the leas,
Singing the songs of the meadows.
In the Natural Health Service, Isabel Hardman draws on personal experiences & interviews with leading psychologists to determine the role of wild-life, pets & the outdoors in alleviating stress. Highlights the importance of nature in maintaining good mental & physical health. An insightful read.
The Natural Health Service – Amazon
Seaspiracy is a 2021 documentary film about the environmental impact of fishing.
Film features human impact on marine life like plastic-marine debris, ghost nets & over-fishing. Argues commercial fisheries are the main driver of marine eco-system destruction. Seaspiracy rejects the concept of sustainable fishing, criticises several marine conservation initiatives. Advocates for marine reserves, elimination of fish consumption. Covers the Taiji dolphin drive hunt, whaling in Faroe Islands, modern slavery in the fishing industry. Intriguing, interesting perspectives.
