How to Be Present in Nature
Hey everyone,
In case you missed it, this weekend I hosted my first ever group hike!
I probably should’ve considered that there was a folk festival in Moab before setting this date, but even though we were few in numbers, Zach and I had a great time on our hike.
It was truly wonderful and I learned so much about myself, Moab, and why doing these hikes is so important to me.
We learned about the Mesozoic Era, which was when the dinosaurs roamed the earth from around 245 million years to 65 million years. For perspective, I recently read that if the history were condensed into a 24-hour time period, humans have only existed for barely a few seconds
Talk about feeling insignificant!!!
Anyway, we brought our journals and wrote on top of where you see Zach standing in photo 3.
There were several memorable moments, but the one that sticks out to me the most was actually captured in the first photo.
We were almost at our destination when I immediately stopped to take a look at this little plant. Initially I was was thrown off guard because I genuinely felt like we (the plant and myself) had never crossed paths.
None of us could identify what the plant was (and if you do know what it is, please let me know), but we admired its mystery, and after a couple minutes, we continued walking towards what we “came for” the Determination towers.
I love these moments.
My husband, Eric calls it, “the in between moments.“ It’s a moment that can carry a lot of meaning without there being much to it at all.
For someone that hangs out in their head way too much , I’m seeking every opportunity to come to the present moment. Whether that’s a larger scale moment like the adrenaline rush after hiking up hill, or, on a much smaller scale— stopping in your tracks to analyze an insignificant plant with a unique shade of green.
Whatever it is, whenever it is, or however it is— I’m grateful for every single one of those moments that capture my attention to here, right now, in this very moment.
Journal Prompts: set timer for 5 minutes per question.
Write about a time when you were fully content and present? Who was there? What made it easy to be present? How did you feel in your body?
What got you out of that moment?
Where does your mind go when it wants to escape the here and now?
What narratives does your mind tell you to distract from being present?
What are some effective grounding skills that help you get back into the present moment?
Love you all more than you know. Thanks for being here and i cant wait to connect very soon. <3
