Nature as nurture

from the archives

Brittingham Park (Madison, WI) - March 15, 2024

Today’s a cold and cloudy March day.

Friday, the day of the photo above, was sunny and warm.

March is a very in between kind of month. The temperatures can fluctuate 50 degrees from one day to the next. The promise of spring, with green poking through the ground and buds on the trees, is tempered by flurries in the forecast.

For many years, I wrote on Blogger. You can find my blog here. Much of my writing there was focused on nature, parenting, family life, and books and reading.

“Nature therapy” features often in my life. And in my writing. The benefits of time spent in nature - both for our physical and our mental health and well-being - have been researched and reported upon extensively.

Seven years ago, on the first day of spring, I was exhausted after a hard day at work. I took a walk in my neighborhood and wrote the following poem. Both the walk - and writing about it - restored me that day. As they always do.

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From “cell phone/nature poem for the first day of spring” (March 20, 2017):

***

walking down the hill

through the forest

toward the river

mid-march and

i'm mesmerized by

everything-is-brown

mud beneath my feet

decaying oak leaves

intertwining branches

of standing and fallen

trees and shrubs

the greenish-brown

flow of the river

all browns against the

bright blue sky

***

i default to

the-modern-trap

taking photographs

i stop and consider

my willingness

to let technology

intrude on my walk

to look at things

through a phone/camera

***

but I want to

remember the

seemingly stoic seagull

being pulled nonchalantly

by the swift river current

she does not seem to mind

***

so i start

tapping out

notes & phrases

on my phone

it is a contradiction

i am aware

of contradictions

i am full of them

***

but still

***

what i hear is…

crows caw-caw-cawing

trees creaking as

they bend with the wind

the unmistakable sound

of a woodpecker

the bark of a dog

from somewhere above

***

i leave the main path

drawing closer to

the soothing sound

of the river flowing and

bubbling briskly

over large stones

***

i stand among

dried out grasses

cool hands

breeze on my cheeks

hair blowing

i look around me

and across the river

i am alone

i sit down and just

listen to the water

close my eyes

in the wild beauty

of this wonderful

and ordinary place

when i stand up

and turn to walk

back to the main path

i am surprised to see a

young man fishing

on the same side

of the river

and not too far away

***

returning to the path

there is a makeshift

walkway boardwalk

covering muddy areas

my fluorescent-hued

running shoes

discordant on the planks

another contradiction

my colorful feet

squishing in the muddy path

crunching on dead leaves or

wood chips or gravel paths

***

as i finish my walk

i spot across the river

a possible kindred spirit

she stands still

watching the river

***

i walk up to

the park above where

people walk dogs

young men occupy

the basketball courts

a couple of families

enjoy the playground

***

i am grateful

for the gifts of

the sunshine and the warmth

the beauty and the life

of this afternoon

the first day of spring

---

As we move through March and beyond, may we find comfort and restoration in the nurturing rhythms of nature.

Perhaps…

a walk in the woods

buds on trees and bushes

bulbs coming up in the yard

snuggles from a furry pet friend

a bouquet of tulips

a thriving houseplant

…or any other reminder of the beautiful presence and interconnectedness of life.

---

Thanks for reading!

With gratitude,

Mary