I overheard a woman talk about the fabulous experience she had on a walk the other day. It was a lovely fall day and she said she could hear the wind howl, feel the leaves crackle beneath her feet, and smell the sea air.
I found myself a little envious.
Sure, I spend lots of time outside, but it’s almost always goal oriented: running or biking to break a time (or to make sure I finish in time to relieve my babysitter).
It’s also often social, which means a lot of quality time talking and catching up friends and family. But, it’s never sensory focused, which is the experience that this woman described so eloquently.
Even though we tend to be more laid back here on the Coast, it’s true that we are often in a hurry. Most of the time, we are thinking about getting to the next activity and trying to jam in as much as we can into one day. For me, it begs the question, how can we have these outdoor sensory engaged moments that bring us true bliss?
For lack of a better metaphor, I did a little digging and here is what I came up:
Get the kids involved: Joseph Cornell writes books all about sharing nature with children. One of the activities he suggests is stopping in the forest, closing your eyes and trying to be as silent as you can for one minute. It amazing the things you hear that you never would if your eyes were open!
Go to a different area (a new beach or trail): It is easy to get in a rut with our favourite walk or run. Next time, try a brand new route or try doing your usual route backwards. You will be surprised how different it looks and how you may notice things you never did before.
Go solo: There are so many lovely front country areas here that are safe enough for you to savour time alone in nature. Make sure you let someone know where you are and savour this treasured experience.
Breathe: Stop, look around and take it all in. Allow yourself the time notice the old growth, the rugged coastline, the magical dirt that only exists here on the Sunshine Coast!
Hopefully as we slide into winter, we will all able to enjoy being outside and engaging the senses.
From my family to yours, may your holiday season be filled with peace and happiness and of course, lots of sensory filled time outside!
Until next time, see you out there!
