Did you know there is a website that can calculate how much time you devote to watching TV shows? After calculating it here, you might be quite amazed at the amount of time wasted.
To start, there is nothing wrong with Netflix, it just isn’t intriguing for some. Arguably, there are shows which challenge you to think, can be educational and provide value, rather than just mindless entertainment. Devoting a half hour to a show to take your mind off something and relax can be a stress reliever and shouldn’t leave you feeling guilty. However, the issues arise when we spend hours upon hours engulfed in these shows. This is the point as to why stepping outside into nature for an hour over binge watching TV shows can be beneficial.
When was the last time you went out and appreciated the beauty of winter? It’s easy to complain about the cold and how much we hate the snow, but it’s not going anywhere and it’s not going to change. Every winter the snow and the cold will come… Why don’t we just enjoy it? I am guilty of this myself and it’s something I would like to work on as well. Therefore, reason as for my walk today.
Throughout the morning as I was putting laundry away, the sun kept peaking through the clouds which eagered me to go outside and enjoy it. I was craving to get outdoors and be around nature. After bundling up and throwing some music on my phone, I headed towards the trails.
While walking pretty briskly through the snow, attempting to try and get a light cardio session in, it suddenly hit me. Why are you rushing along? ….I stopped in my tracks and thought “If you want to enjoy nature, it’s right here in front of you!” There I stood, being present with my surroundings for a moment and actually allowing myself to take it in. The water in the river slowly flowing, the squirrels so innocently running tree to tree and the birds flying up above. How cool would it be to be a bird, and have no loyalty to any one location and free to fly wherever we wish? Those were other thoughts…
Watching off in the distance, many cars sped by on the highway, rushing off to somewhere they probably felt obligated to be as well. I kind of smiled to myself, realizing what was before me was so simple, yet taken for granted. How many people just go out to walk in nature and appreciate it for what it is? Instead, we reach for endless entertainment through movies and tv shows to pass the time. This moment reminded me of my favorite piece at Art Prize. Not a winning piece by any means, but the message was SO GREAT to me.https://www.artprize.org/lance-attwell/2015/the-sonder-liebe-lounge
I wish more people would slow down to appreciate nature. It is something I definitely want to commit more to. Yet, it seems to be taken for granted. It’s like, we can’t enjoy a moment for what it is because we are so focused on the future and the next moment. Since reading the book, “You are Here by Thich Nhat Hanh,” which contains teachings of Buddhist practice, I have learned how to appreciate more.
We get so caught up in the doing. Making lists, obsessing over productivity, planning weeks/months in advance. How dare we waste time and not work efficiently! But what about what is happening right now? Are you fully experiencing the moment? It’s so silly to think I was just going out for a walk to enjoy the outdoors but was so focused on walking and rushing that I didn’t even really ENJOY it until I stopped to take it in. Take a step back and become attuned. Don’t just go through the motions each day for 75 years and call it a life.
Upon walking back, the scenery displayed a funny metaphor for life. The branches of the trees appeared empty and lifeless, due to the leaves being dead and no energy to make them grow. If you think about this, it really is symbolic of our own lives. We are no different than the tree. We can either choose to go through the motions and appear to be alive, but really we are not truly fulfilled and living. OR, we can come alive by finding something that gives you energy and purpose to create a satisfying life. It takes energy for the leaves on the tree grow, and then it becomes vibrant. I want you to create a vibrant life.
So my take away messages… Slow down, enjoy the moments right in front of you. Don’t get so caught up in doing all the time, that you lose sight of the present and life passes you by. We can find much more in simple moments than you think. And secondly, really take time to reflect on what gives you energy. Take your passion and marry it with the needs of the universe to find purpose. Don’t let the thought of being so minute hold you back from chasing something you love. You don’t want to look back after 75 years with regret, thinking of all the things you didn’t do. Find what truly fulfills you and do that, because that is a life WORTH living.
Stay curious, stay creative, stay hungry.
#LeaveYourMark #FailForward #ChangeYourMindset
Very well articulated! The introduction coupled with sharing a personal experience of yours certainly made the message of environmental awareness more relatable. Many people unfortunately haven’t realized just how much we’ve become disconnected from nature. Everything is often viewed as a resource. Once one moves beyond this mindset, they can truly appreciate the natural world’s beauty and how we are all still a part of it. Bringing this issue to light has increased in urgency, especially given today’s circumstances with human-induced climate change and all. Excellent work!
Thanks so much, glad you enjoyed it! It’s is definitely easy these days to not make time to go out and appreciate nature, getting so consumed in the monotonous day to day tasks and technology. It can be intrinsically rewarding though if we do actually take time for these activities and can be good for our brains to get a different stimulation from nature.