Sad and Lonely, Eased in Nature

By: Maggie Marshall | Posted in: Connection with Nature | Wednesday, Oct 7, 2015 - 10:27am

I was sad and lonely on my last birthday in September.  I have just moved to a place where I know no one.  Why? That is another story.

So I got online and felt a little better in some connection with my virtual friends.  But it is a beautiful warm day and my business is about connecting with nature so I decide to go for a walk.  I am a 10 minute walk from a beautiful falls and forest.

I decide to take a forest path.  It leads me to a fence to keep me from falling off a cliff. The sun is warming me and the breeze is caressing me. I am very quiet and contemplative. When I get to the fence, I look to my left and see a deer staring at me. I am so startled. We stand just looking at each other and I feel the awe and beauty of it. I am honored that she is so trusting and has not bolted. She even lets me take a picture.

As you can see in the picture, though, she is looking up the path.  I hear voices and see a man and a child. They are noisy and in a hurry.  I know that she will startle.  She waits until they are almost level with her and then runs off.  The child says, “She was standing right there.  That is awesome.”  And then they move on.

I feel sad that I did not have more time with her, but am grateful that we connected at all. Maybe I will see her again.

This is what our society is like – in a hurry, noisy, little self-reflection. Even in nature, it is about a rush to see what you can see quickly, but don’t open and receive, to see what greets you.  Don’t approach with love and peace when you do see something.

Later on in my walk I saw a young man, soaking up the sun, with his dog.  He almost constantly looked at his phone and texted.  I don’t think he was even enjoying his dog. So he felt the warmth of the sun and caress of the breeze, but how aware of it was he?  And what about the Canada geese resting on the river and calling out to each other? Or the birds flying through the trees?

We have lost our connection to our home and all its living components, all those parts of us. No wonder we feel so isolated.

The walk in the sun, the warmth and the smells lifted my mood.  The encounter with the deer stays with me. I have had dreams of deer since then, and also spiritual journeys with them.  So I have a new connection and a feeling of companionship from nature and the spirit world. I also inhaled the scents and aromas that are healing for my body.  My feet connected with the earth and absorbed her energy.

What do you do when you feel sad and lonely. Does nature play a part in comforting you? 

I’d love to hear your thoughts.