Before going to bed, I’ve been reading a book about forest bathing and it’s opened a chasm of longing inside me. One of my passions is being in and around trees, gardens, and flowing water. That sad reality is this. I live in a desert.
I used to live in Cloudcroft, NM, a village 9,000 feet above sea level. I went on random nature walks with our dogs almost daily and never really realized how lucky I was. That is, until I moved to Las Cruces, NM and wished almost daily I could go back on the trails around my house.
I’ve always been happiest when I lived in places directly connected to greenery and flowing water. I inevitability look for places near where I live I can ground myself in grass or near clusters of trees.
Now, living in Rio Communities, NM near Albuquerque I have very few places I can ground myself. I mean, it’s the very definition of a desert.
What is it people say about longing? That it begets discontent? For myself, if I find myself longing for things like being in nature it means I truly need it in my life.
So, with all this complaining, (sorry for that 🙂 ) what I’m truly trying to figure out is how I can e content with what I have, although circumstances are not the best. It is as they say, “Absence makes the heart grow fonder.”
Although I miss living in and near a forest, there is beauty to be found anywhere. Someday, I’ll most likely live in my coveted cabin in the woods. For now, I feel it’s important to find beauty and that connection to the earth in ways that befit the environment.
Who knows. Maybe someday I’ll long to be back in the desert for different reasons.
For now, I think I’ll explore the concept of Forest Bathing for my personal meditational study.
Journal writing is particularly hard for me because:
I’m tired by the end of the day
I don’t quite know what to say
My thoughts are ALL OVER THE PLACE
. . . I forget. 🙂
That being said, I do think journal writing is extraordinarily important. Therefore, I want to challenge myself! If you would like to join me on my quest to journal every day, feel free to copy, use, and tag the journal prompts I use.
Before I officially begin, the more I thought about what I value every day, the more I realize I love my life and what I have. Gratitude truly lies at the center of a joyful everyday life. Hopefully, I’ll be able to realize this more as days go by.
Let’s go! The little things I value most in my daily life are…
My relationship with God and following my religious beliefs day by day is the foundation of my life. I value the time spent reading scriptures, exploring other religions to better understand others, meditating, and sometimes sharing what I believe with others.
I am truly grateful for the joy I receive every day because I’ve chosen to live a virtuous, kind, and thoughtful life.
Whether I am calling, texting, and visiting with my family members, or even doing family history my connection with my family is precious. I have loving parents, six great siblings, five sister/brother inlaws, multiple nieces and nephews, two living grandparents, and many many other extended family members to love.
I know there are many people who do not know their family or lack a loving family environment. Therefore, my personal connection to such a beautiful family is one of the things I value most.
I am SOOO self-conscious of my health. How I treat myself through eating, drinking, and exercising has always been one of my top priorities. This also means I consciously work on my mental health. I value the relationship I have cultivated with my body. Because of this, I never need to worry about being a stranger in my own body.
There was a poll on Facebook I randomly answered a few days ago that asked, “If you could have a lifetime supply of any beverage, what would it be?”. I chose WATER. I mean that. Sincerely. I understand what a blessing it is to have such easy access to clean water. I value every drink of water I have throughout the day.
It wasn’t until recently I noticed how much my body was craving daily walks. I used to walk about 10,000+ steps per day because I didn’t own a car. I really miss the time I had walking, thinking, and connecting to my world. Walking may be slower than riding a car, but it is such a wonderful addition to my daily life!
Now, despite my crazy job schedule, I take time to walk around my neighborhood. It is how I take time to notice what a beautiful world I live in.
I am infinitely grateful for my college experience. My professors instilled in me a passion for daily learning. I’m constantly studying, reading, or listening to something throughout the day. Sometimes I write about what I learn. Most of the time I add it to my arsenal of knowledge I cherish.
Image via Dreamstime.com
Yoga
From the time I stumbled across a random yoga video in college, I’ve loved how yoga makes me feel. Doing yoga daily helps me sort through my thoughts, burn off daily stress, connect to my body, and strengthen myself physically, spiritually, and mentally. It’s why I wanted to become a yoga teacher several years ago.
Listening to and performing music has been one of my greatest joys since I was a young child. I thought I would become a singer when I grew up. Now, I value any time I have with music even more because it took me a LONG time to overcome the personal trauma I experienced while studying music in college. I have quite an eclectic taste in music. 🙂 I’ll talk about it sometime in the future.
I need daily grounding in nature. I have plants in my room, know all the nature hot spots where I live and am currently working on my backyard garden. If I could live anywhere I would choose a cabin in the woods in the mountains. Henry David Thoreau got it right in his autobiography Walden when he said,
I. Love. Eating! Food is one of my dearest daily joys. And not all food is created equal! One of my goals whenever I travel anywhere whether it be Europe, Albuquerque, or Orem Utah is to find delicious places to eat and remember. Anywhere I’ve lived I remember the delicious foods I found.
It was truly a joyous moment for me when I let myself enjoy eating nourishing meals and indulgences without guilting myself into eating more or less.
Surprise surprise I truly value working as a teacher. My 24-year-old self would want to slap me outside the head but I’ve grown up since that time. I’m finally earning my own money and giving back to my community in a way I enjoy. Granted not every day is wonderful, or a picture-perfect Norman Rockwell painting.
What means the most to me is how much I learn and grow by connecting with children.
Thank you for reading! Again, feel free to use this Journaling Tag. Hope to see you soon!
So Many Thoughts 