As a parent I am always on the scout for ways I can incorporate nature into my daughter’s life. Sometimes it is peering at bugs, and sniffing flowers, or greeting the morning sun. Sometimes it is a simple as asking her—what do you hear? What do you see? What do you smell? It always means indulging my playful and curious side.
Often times it means intervening with my own habit energy of a freight train mind of go, go, do, do… that is trying to keep up with some relentless treadmill in its ceaseless run away from some unknown, by stopping to breathe and, literally, smell the flowers and taking the time to notice life.
Sadly our choice to live in the city means that her answer is often “cars.” That is devastating, but it motivates me to keep on.
We take her on little trips. This weekend it was to the Gorge to hear, and feel, and see Latourel Falls…she loved it and wanted to get closer, much closer than our parental algorithm would allow.
We try to give our daughter choices. Simple ones, but meaningful ones none-the-less, like—“do want to wear this shirt, or this dress? Do you want to eat soup or cheese?” When we need to pick her up to go into her car seat, which, on a very good day she will put up with but on most days just detests, the options are something like: “Do you want to go to the car like a sparrow or a hippopotomus?” The choice sweetly and skillfully reframes the energy of resistance and the experience becomes fun. Yesterday I gave her the options of: “Do you want to go to the car like a hippo or a giraffe?” She bested me and gave my heart a takedown on the mat (and was ever so tickled to have that happen) when she picked neither choice and said “Lady bug!” We had the best time flitting from flower to branch (and eventually to the car) like a Lady bug.
There are many creative ways to introduce nature into our lives, into the lives of children…or reintroduce nature to our souls. One of the most delightful and playfully radical is this: to “pretend” that we are animals and plants. Reconnect with the playful part of our minds that somehow knows that it can become an animal or plant. Having a little daughter gives me the excuse to be playful and silly with nature. In my vision of paradise, though, we adults would not need a reason or excuse to become eagles or ants, but would simply do it because it feels good.
In this week’s Dirt! may you find ample opportunities to play with nature.
From Tim and all the Dirt! Gang, Spreading Roots, Spring Forth