Get in Touch with Mother Nature

Put the electronics DOWN! That's right... you heard me correctly. Put down those lovely things we hold so tightly onto, and spend a fortune on each time we buy a new one, crack the screen or drop it in the toilet (while sitting on the bowl). You know we have all been there before! It's time to disconnect, and it's also a great way to recharge ourselves. I offend find myself on weekends completely lost in my garden for hours if not the entire day without electronics (ok, almost- I do play music on my Alexa). I really find hiking, biking, walking, going for a run and getting dirty in the garden an important part of connecting to the universe and natural energy. I particularly also garden barefoot, and occasionally go for a pedicure and then do this (palm to face). I have to be honest too, I used to think I couldn't garden or keep a plant alive, but with a little dedication and understanding for nature, it started to just come naturally. Of course I read about gardens and I still have an issue with growing beautiful flowers, but tomatoes is not an issue for me. I strongly encourage the exploration of your neighborhood!

Here is my TOP TEN ways of reconnecting with Nature, in the order of my very own special way!

Wake up With Nature

This can be taken in the very literal form and you can get up with the birds at dawn and as the sun rises up... or you can be like me. I just enjoy waking up and pulling back my shades to whatever Mother Nature has in store for us that day. One of the first things that I do is draw back my shades and check out what's in store for me! I also like a well lit or well dimmed house! I try to avoid using the electricity when I can use natural lighting.

Kiss the earth with your feet

I may have a weird OCD obsession with having my feet clean while walking around my house and have house slippers... but you would be completely surprised if you saw me gardening. I'm oddly in the least amount of clothing and barefoot. It's something about the soil and the grass between my toes. I also enjoy working out on my deck barefoot!

Plant Something

Clearly this has to be next, if I'm outside in my garden barefoot! There is something truly magical about planting something and seeing it grow. I promise you that when I first started I had the hands of death! It took me a while to get it right and after ten years of living in my home I finally had a successful garden that could feed my daughter and I most of the summer and fall!

Compost

Every opportunity we get, we compost. What to compost? Thats easy... most veggie and fruit scraps are compostable as well as napkins and paper towels. It's easier to compost in the cold months because fruit flies are hard to come by... but in the summer, it's easy to have a bag that goes into the freezer and out to the compost bin later! Can't compost? There are several companies that provide compost bins and pick up from your home. This also makes for great soil in your garden! I also throw in my chicken shavings and such!

Get Outside

It's important to get outside whenever and however you can! I love getting out in the spring and summer onto my back deck. Rewind that for the last 10 years... I haven't had a deck... just a landing with a back door staircase. I loved getting out there on my little Five Below bistro set that I bought for fifteen dollars. It was amazing, it still takes up space on my deck, but I truly now enjoy being out there with a cup of coffee all cozied up on my patio furniture and soaking up the sun!

Bring Nature Indoors

Either collect items from outdoors and make them into household decorations (since cones, sea shells and rocks) or have flowers and plants in your home. Again, you may think you have a black thumb, but I promise you many plants require low maintenance care! I even put a whole shelf of plants in my kitchen midway through the window. I didn't want curtains, I like to look out the windows when I cook and I didn't want it to be overly sunny or visible for my neighbors... because I also enjoy walking around air drying in my towels... putting a whole shelf of plants helped me compromise and gave me some privacy!

Unplug from Technology

When I go out to garden, I rarely carry my phone on me! I do not ever have it on any other setting than silent. It's my time to be one with the garden and earth. I do like to listen to music... but I use this time to get lost in my thoughts or completely zen into gardening!

Leave Your Car at Home

I don't really live in a pedestrian friendly neighborhood. So sometimes I'll take my car to an area that is more friendly, like my mom's house and then from there I will bike around town. She literally lives on the opposite side of town a few miles away. I also really enjoy going for a walk to get ice cream. It's like the reward for exercising- and probably the only way I can get my daughter to do a two mile walk with me as well! Finding other modes of transportation is great! Biking, walking, scootering, heck horseback riding- all great ways to get around and also respect Mother Nature!

Clean up Litter

Please don't be that person who throws your garbage all over the road! Be the person who picks it up. I have to be honest in saying, people who litter peeve me the F off. Like, if you are a friend and you do it... You have already heard me b*tch you out! Respect Mother Nature! I taught this to my daughter from the time she was little. I loved the one summer she spend outside our front lawn with gloves and a garbage bag picking up the litter that people throw out their windows on my busy street. While doing it, she educated cars as they drove by while yelling about how gross it was at 5 years old she was picking up their trash. She sounded just like me... and she really enjoyed cleaning up her yard, but I could see the frustration and a great teaching moment about caring for the planet!

Take Your Daily Activities Outside

Just like taking the coffee outside, I have been taking the home office outside, the long talks with friends and anything else that I can do from my home or office, I can do outside. Take exercising and bring it outside! Heck- I have seen some pretty awesome home theaters outside too!

Just spend more time outside and appreciate Mother Nature!