Yes, so wow, it is the first day of spring. Happy day!
With talk of coronavirus all around us and many people choosing (wisely) to isolate themselves and their families to slow the spread of this deadly virus, I thought I would restart my blog posts. I myself have been spending a lot more time outside, bathing in the serenity of the natural world and letting it, however temporarily, soothe my weary soul. There is comfort in the fact that nature keeps going, signs of spring everywhere with flowers poking their heads out of the leaf-covered ground and green shoots reaching for the sun, birds gathering nesting materials, filling the morning air with their sweet songs. All of nature here in my forest wonderland is oblivious to the impending trouble of their two-legged neighbors.
We humans suddenly find ourselves in unchartered territory, dealing with a world-wide pandemic that is sweeping through our cities, towns and neighborhoods. All the things we normally do, the way we order our days is suspended.
In posting again I hope to offer some inspiration as well as a short escape during this troubling time.
Take a minute for yourself. Breathe in, and out. Feel calm. There are many, many problems you are powerless to solve. And doing these 5 things won’t change the world–but they just might change your mental state, if only for a few minutes.
Check out these 5 things you can do right now to soothe your weary soul:
- Watch a live bird on her nest! The Cornell Lab of Ornithology offers many live feed cams of different species of birds. These are fascinating! You can see them building nests, laying eggs, feeding babies. It’s a sneak peak into the world of nature. Check out this red-tailed hawk on her nest, a live feed, or this barred owl on her nest, bothlive, from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology in New York.
2. Watch this time lapse video from National Geographic showing flowers blooming!
3. Flowers that dance? Is it really true? To see, check out this video– Flowers CAN DANCE!
4 Check out these brown bears of Katmai in Alaska, feeding on salmon! This is an awesome, peaceful, quiet video of bears and life going on in Alaska. It is 26 minutes long, but if you have time, it’s a great way to escape.
5. And lastly, if you have a longer chunk of time to fill, here is a video of an underwater scene featuring fish and great white sharks.
6. I couldn’t help it, just had to add one more. This is from the Arctic, a compilation from live cams. It is very relaxing, featuring beluga whales, foxes and polar bears. Makes you feel like you are there.
Hope you enjoyed this small break from all that’s going on. Stay safe and I’ll see you again soon. And please, if you’d like to comment, I’d love to hear from you! You will find the comment box below. Since we can’t see each other and we can’t get together with friends, let’s at least share our thoughts here, in our little community of nature lovers. We are all one family. Thanks for reading! I look forward to being in touch again.
Thanks for the videos and Welcome Back Lollygagger!!!!
Hope all is well 🙂
B Smith
Hey Bill, thanks for noticing! I hope you are well too.
Hi there dear friend!
Wow! This was just what I needed today! BEAUTIFUL!! I especially love the dancing flowers. ❤️😎🍷
I hope this finds you doing well. Stay healthy!!
Hugs, Jill
Hi Jill, well I’m glad the timing was right. I too loved the dancing flowers!! So fun. I hope you are laying low and staying well. Take care, and thanks for writing.
Hi, Sharon, So glad to see you’re back online. Alaskan Brown Bear video is a 10.
A social worker suggested I find a safe place to go to in my mind, so by visualizing one or two of the scenes of these short poems I wrote may we all find peace:
In the boreal woods gripped by ice and snow,
Where the stars aren’t masked by urban glow,
The watcher feels chills
As wolves howl from the hills,
And the northern lights dance as they shift and flow.
Savour the bright morning song of the meadowlark
And the saurian sounds of the heron in the dark,
But when the whip-poor-will hunts by the full moon,
May I hear the haunting call of a breeding loon.
Murray! I love the poem!! Thanks for sharing it with us. I think your social worker is right–we all need to find a safe place in our minds to go, especially for any of us who don’t have the means to get out into the woods. I hope you are writing poems and staying healthy. Thanks again for writing.
I enjoyed the flowers and their beautiful music most.
Yes, the dancing flowers video was my favorite! Thanks for writing.
Sharon, this is perfect timing. I am glad you started to add blog posts again. I know your lovely pictures and your wisdom are very inspiring and a great way to bring serenity into the craziness that is life in the time of COVID! Thank you!! 🙂
Lisa! So nice to see you here. Thanks for taking time to write…looking forward to catching up with you soon.
Sharon
have missed you inspiring words and pictures.. perfect timing to have you back
Thank you Nanci, it’s good to be back… any signs of spring yet up north?
I, too, am glad for your return. An email I will want to click into for calm, beauty and inspiration…..not to mention education!
Welcome back!
Thank you Arden. Hope you are staying safe.