Spirit Matters: Let nature be your guide

The tree outside our window reminds me this morning of how the grounding aspects of the natural world have guided me through life.

I sit in my usual spot in the backroom, which is painted green and decorated with a nature theme. On the wall in front of me is a framed poster of wildflowers. On the adjoining wall is a framed print of an owl and the moon. On the wall behind me is a framed print of some trees at Timber Pointe Outdoor Center in Hudson, where I worked many years ago. That print was given to me as a gift by my co-workers for my 30th birthday. On the hope chest in the nook to my right, there are a set of LED “birch” candles, a wooden lantern candle warmer and a small artificial pine tree with wisdom tags on married life I was given for my bridal shower.

I have shared here before how nature has been a big part of my life since I was a child, when I roamed freely around our neighborhood and around my grandparents’ farmland, and the farmland of my aunts and uncles.

It was then I paid attention to the ground beneath my feet, noticing the many ways life manifests itself in the natural world: ants running around on the dirt, working hard to build their farms; squirrels chasing each other from here to there and everywhere; birds building their nests for their young; an orchard full of magic and mystery.

It was then I learned to listen to the sound of the wind blowing through the trees, whispering her wisdom for those who have the ears to hear.

After having worked at a corporate insurance company for eight years, my shift to working in a little cabin in the woods at TPOC felt surreal in the most excellent of ways.

For four years, I was able to sense and savor the slow shifting of the seasons. On nature walks, the trails were carpeted with pine needles or blankets of leaves in the autumn. On the annual nationwide Make a Difference volunteer day at the end of October, I led groups as we cleared away leaves from the main camp. I can still hear and feel the leaves crunching beneath my feet while smoke from the burning piles wafted through the air, and the welcome sweetness and smoothness of a cup of hot chocolate making its way down my throat at the end of a long day.

In the winter, I watched with quiet awe as large, soft snowflakes fell gently to the ground in every direction. At our staff Christmas party on a dark December night, I stepped outside for a moment to get a breath of air, and the hoot of an owl echoed through the night, spooking me into going right back inside and slamming the door behind me.

And, of course, spring and summer were vibrant, with wildlife thriving in its fullness. It wasn’t unusual to cross paths with a doe and her fawn darting through the trees, or to look out the windows in the back of the office and see a raccoon climbing up and down to its cottage inside an old tree.

All the jobs I have had through my life have made me grow in unique ways, but that time I spent at TPOC was uniquely special. It is a rare gift to be able to work in the midst of the natural world, and I will treasure it for the rest of my life.

As we continue to make our way through these profoundly uncertain times, I encourage each of you to find a way to make nature a regular part of your day. Being in the great outdoors reinforces to us the slow, steady presence of the holy one, through good times and bad. And it helps us to see with more clarity – to recognize what we can change and what is beyond our soul’s job description.

Whether we realize it or not, each of us is part of this great big ecosystem that we had nothing to do with bringing into existence. There is an intelligence far greater than ours at work in the outside world, as well as in each of our internal worlds.

Let us do what decency and basic humanity requires and trust the rest to the great wisdom that knows all, sees all and ultimately handles all with the justice or mercy their intents and deeds deserve.

SPIRIT MATTERS is a weekly column by Jerrilyn Zavada Novak that examines experiences common to the human spirit. Contact her at jzblue33@yahoo.com.