Mindfulness in Nature

Mindfulness:

1. A mental state achieved by focusing one’s awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one’s feelings, thoughts and bodily sensations, used as a therapeutic technique. 
2. The quality or state of being conscious or aware of something.

When I decided to move to Yellowstone to work for 6 months, I had the idea that I would “change everything about her using colors bold and bright”.  I was going to be vegan, drink herbal tea, meditate, hike every single day, lose a ton of weight, and make this big change to become someone completely different inside and out.  Well, the best laid plans…. The biggest change on the outside is that I haven’t worn make up or done anything to my hair in 6 months.  There is something very liberating about being completely natural in my appearance.  And, not one person has said, “Oh do you not feel well?” or “You look really tired.” They don’t know me any other way here. I feel like more my authentic self. And, goodness, has it decreased the time it takes to get ready for work in the morning!

A friend of mine said something to me just before I left Texas.  She advised me not to seek out some big, monumental change.  She suggested, instead, that I just take what life brings, live in the moment and ENJOY!  She was worried I was putting too much pressure on myself, and that I would end up being disappointed.  She is one of the smartest people I know, and I took what she said to heart. 

What I have tried to do is be mindful of everything around me.  I’ve tried to quiet my mind and absorb all that life in Yellowstone has to offer.  It’s something new and different and magical every day.  I wanted to be open and welcoming of all things.

I was born and raised in Texas.  I have always said if I had the opportunity to move to another part of the country, I would do it in a second.  And I did.  It would have been perfect if only my wife and pup were here too.  There are a lot of things to like about Texas, but there are many things I do not like.  The climate (both political and otherwise) does not appeal to me at all.   

When I was a little girl, I spent hours daydreaming about what it must be like to have actual seasons.  I longed for a New England autumn, winter in the Rocky Mountains, springtime in the hill country of Texas and summers in San Diego.  I thought about how great it would be to wake up to snow on Christmas morning.  I mean, Santa needs snow to land his sleigh!

In Texas, we have two seasons – Hot and Not Quite So Hot.  Sometimes it’s hard to even tell what month it is once you get to April.  It’s impossible to know when Autumn starts if you go by weather alone.  WE dictate what season it is by how we decorate our homes, what is cooking on the stovetop, and what we are watching on the television.  The only way you know it’s September, or October, or November is by the abundance of pumpkin spice everything everywhere.  There is not usually frost on the pumpkin at Halloween. In fact, we are lucky our pumpkins haven’t decomposed due to the heat.  Christmas?  It could be 80 degrees (probably) or it could be 40 degrees (possibly).  Texas weather is bipolar.  I believe I get seasonal affective disorder, because there are no seasons. 

I have experienced all four seasons living in Montana for 6 months.  When I arrived, it was late winter/early spring.  There was still snow on the ground, and we had a couple of snowstorms before spring came for good.  Spring was amazing with wildflowers and newborn baby animals all around.   In Gardiner, a town of only about 700 people, the excitement was palpable.  People were so ready to say goodbye to snow and cold.  The town was bustling with energy.  Summer came and with it – tourists.  A great boon to the economy, but a strain on folks as the season wears on.  By August, you could feel a weariness coming over the town.  A few months of increasing the population by hundreds of people every day was taking its toll.  By September, people were starting to prepare for the upcoming winter.  The ranchers were storing hay for the winter. Snow poles were going up on the roadsides. Folks were scrambling to get all the fruit off their trees to keep the bears away.  Flowers and plants were replaced by firewood at the local market.  There was a sense of urgency to that month.  And by October, it was all over.  The whole town seemed to slow down.  It seemed as if they were steeling themselves for the next 6 months of winter.  As I write this, there are multiple road closures throughout the park due to winter weather driving conditions. My drive to work this morning was treacherous. Snow covered roads, sideways snow falling at a good clip, and snowplows out to protect us all. Winter is here. Already. It has been an interesting observation, and I am enjoying watching the rhythm of it all.  

My time here is rapidly coming to an end.  I have had a marvelous experience, AND I am ready to be home with my family and friends.  I’m a ball of mixed emotions right now.  I am also trying to live in the moment about that. What I hope to continue is the state of mindfulness I have been living here. I want to be able to really enjoy the things that are around me when I get back to Texas.  Perhaps, I will be able to see it with fresh eyes.  I will seek out opportunities to be in nature at home more.  We have an amazing back yard with beautiful sunsets, birds, a creek that flows behind our home, and a puppy willing to keep me company on his very own lounger.  I miss that and will appreciate it much more than I did before.  They say you don’t know what you have until it’s gone.

I have a couple of bands who are my go-to when I need a pick me up. Dave Matthews has a lyric in one of his songs, “It’s not where you are, but who you’re with that really matters.” That lyric rings so true now. I’ve learned I can be in my favorite place, but if my favorite people aren’t here with me, somehow it feels less.

When I return home, I’m going to try to not let all the hustle and bustle overtake my sense of peace, tranquility, and positivity. If it does – that’s on me. 

“Makes much more sense to live in the present tense.”

Eddie Vedder

“In nature, nothing is perfect, and everything is perfect.  Trees can be contorted, bent in weird ways, and they’re still beautiful.”

                                                                                                 Alice Walker

“Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.”

                                                                                             Albert Einstein

“Heaven is under our feet as well as over our heads.”

                                                                                   Henry David Thoreau