08/04/2026
This is a bit longer of a read than I typically post. I just wanted to share some of my thoughts. I hope it resonates with someone.
I have always loved the outdoors. Growing up, I was outside riding my horses, playing with the dogs and cats, befriending all the cows and sometimes a wild critter as well. We had a tree out in the horse pasture that had two forks lower down in the trunk. I could sit and read a book in the taller fork and my dog, Freckles, could jump up and sit in the lower fork. We spent time as a family working outside in the garden and taking care of livestock. Granted, I didn't love working in the garden so much in my younger days. I can remember shooting baskets with my sisters and dad until it was too dark to see the hoop. I would ride my bike with the banana seat with blue sky and fluffy clouds on it, to the little hill that was my mom's pre-set boundary of how far we were allowed to ride away from the house. I remember racing the moon, (I could never quite beat it) and listening to the mourning doves singing their soft coo-OO-oo. When it got hot in the summer, most evenings were spent fishing and playing down at the river. Our little trailer house was so miserably hot by evening that the water was the best place to be.
We have had a lot of 100 plus degree days recently. I am grateful to now live in a house with central air conditioning, however it is pushed to its limit with such hot weather. We have had every blind and curtain closed for several weeks with blankets over the top of them to block out as much of the sun as possible. While this has helped with keeping the house cooler, it has had a noticeable effect on my mood and mindset. I love letting the light in and being able to see the world outside my windows.
Today, the temperature has dropped considerably. It's even a little chilly. I took the opportunity to take the blankets down and open the blinds and windows to let the fresh air and light in. The effect was almost immediate. A lightening of the weight I have been carrying on my shoulders. More mental clarity and energy.
There is a ton of evidence to back up the healing power of nature. I have books and books full of it and full of my notes, underlining and highlighting the data. The same can be said of animals. But I don't really need all of the data to convince me of this. I already know it and have known it all of my life.
In recent years, I have had the opportunity to help provide equine assisted learning and equine assisted psychotherapy through the organization I work for. It has been an amazing experience and definitely has pushed me out of my comfort zone. I think in providing this service and wanting others to see the benefits, I have over-complicated things. I wanted to follow the model, sound like a professional, all the things. We've had wonderful experiences and a lot of fun, but to be honest, it doesn't feel as real and /authentic as I envisioned. I am a relatively simple person and I like things to be straightforward and uncomplicated. I know that spending time with animals, caring for them and earning their trust, is incredibly healing and restorative. I know that going for a walk can bring a mental clarity that isn't attained in other settings. We live in a world that feels like it is getting crazier and crazier by the day. Ever-changing and "advancing" technology, access to everyone's opinion 24/7 (asked for or not), constant business and the mental and physical ailments that seem to come along with it. The "anything goes" (unless it is different from what I think) philosophy. We need quiet. We need rest. We need healthy nourishment, both physically and spiritually.
These are such simple gifts and yet so often overlooked. It doesn't have to be complicated. Get outside, walk barefoot, take time to notice the beauty around you. See how the light dances off the leaves. Listen as the wind sings through the tall grasses and causes them to dance and sway. Watch the silly antics of squirrels, the beauty of birds, and the incredible ways dragon flies dart and maneuver through the air.
Lets get back to the basics of life. We may just find that all the added stuff isn't so necessary after all.
"Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad, let the sea resound, and all that is in it. Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in
them, let all the trees of the forest sing for joy." Psalm 96: 11-12
"How many are your works, LORD! In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures. There is the sea, vast and spacious, teeming with creatures beyond number--living things both large and small." Psalm 104:24-25
"But ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds of the sky, and they will tell you. Or let the fish in the sea inform you.
Job 12:7-8
"He made the moon to mark the seasons, and the sun knows when to go down." Psalm 104:19
"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. " James 1:17
