Lessons from nature

Last Sunday, after almost four straight weeks of work, I finally took a day off. It was a perfect spring day, no rain which is a huge relief for someone living on the West Coast. I love being outdoors , but unfortunately time and weather can be impediments to enjoying the beautiful city I live in.

There is something about nature -which calms me down. Maybe like a puzzle piece fitting right into the bigger picture,I feel that I have come home. The rustling of trees, the rushing water, the smoothed out rocks, the tall trees trying to touch the sky all make me realize, how small I am, yet paradoxically how limitless. I didn't do much - just walking down the path along the river, sitting and watching how the water works its  way around the water, not stopping,not fighting , but working around, hugging the rocks, yet flowing and a realization dawned on me - this is the way to live. Work around your problems, sometimes it is in your favour to go with the flow.

If there are some lessons to learn from nature  it would be :

Change: Every season  reminds us, that change is universal and the same law applies to us. Nothing stays the same - no matter how bitter the winter, it does have to end into spring , and no matter how beautiful the fall , it leads to winter.
Cycle : Walking down the woods, you see new trees growing on trees that have decayed. Every death gives birth to something new and wonderful. Every end has a new beginning.
Patience :Everything takes time. Flowers don't bloom instantly, trees don't bear fruits immediately. In fact the longer you have to wait for something, the longer it lasts. Flowers that take shorter time to bloom , wilt earlier.
Interdependence: Birds build nests on trees, bees help pollinate, every being is dependent on someone else to lead a fulfilling life. We would be fools to believe we can live isolated - no one can.
Work : All creatures have to work for their food and shelter. Right from a bird building its nest, to the lion hunting for its next meal. Food is there, but believing we are priveleged to not work for it , is our fallacy.

And finally, nature teaches us to go with the flow. We would be much happier if we could live in the present moment without comparing it to the past or expecting anything from  it for the future.