Welcoming Nature

I am a huge fan of journaling and habit tracking, and I have a half dozen notebooks going at any one time to prove it!  While I get to partake in many of the things that are most important to me, I've been feeling that I am missing a big component to my happiness: Nature. 

This year, my resolution is to integrate more nature into my life.  This can look like many different things, some days may be spent outdoors, others perhaps just watering a plant in my home.  Whatever the way I interact, the intention to connect with nature is there.  

I'm sharing a few ways I've already gotten started as ideas on how to welcome more nature into your life.

 

Nature Journal

I love creating hand bound journals, it's one of my favorite crafts.  So, a journal felt like the perfect way to honor my nature resolution. 

This one I made from sheets of graph paper, book board, and a repurposed National Geographic calendar (we would always have one in my house when I was growing up, but this one I picked up at Center for Creative Reuse).

In the journal I'm gluing "specimens" to each page.  It won't be everyday, just when I feel compelled to add some nature that called out to me.

 

Walks

It takes a bit more convincing to make myself go for a walk on these cold winter days, but I never regret it once I'm out there.  Being outdoors, seeing the sky, feeling cold air on my face all make me feel connected to nature.  The other day I wanted to see the river, so I made it a point to swing by an overlook on Grandview on my walk.  Try this walk if you'd like to explore Mount Washington.

 

Touching plants

There's something fun and alluring about reaching out and touching a plant.  I had mini handshakes with several evergreen bushes that I passed on my walk.  It's fun to feel their texture, and touch something that we usually just pass by.  You could even stroke a leaf of a houseplant, feel it's veins, to appreciate it in a new way.

 

Learning about nature

I snapped a photo of a tree that had interesting deep red cone seed pods.  Not knowing what it was, I sent it to Amber who is a Master Gardner.  She was able to tell me it was a Sumac tree, that birds love and produce a beautiful color in fall.  What is something in nature you can learn more about?  Perhaps the different types of clouds, how to identify a tree by it's bark, or when to start seedlings.

 

House plants

My house is pretty full of aloe plants at the moment.  I like to keep them outside over the summer and they always produce many many pups, which has expanded my aloe collection to a comical amount when I bring them all inside for the winter.  I plan on expanding to include varieties better suited for the low light in my house, pothos, snake plants, ivy, and others that I'll pick up from the shop.  I hope to make a green wall behind my tv, and let the plants grow and vine all around it.  Plus, I have a spot picked out in my kitchen for this Erel plant hanger.

 

Awe

Seeing the sun set NEVER gets old for me.  I have been drooling over the colorful gradients and wispy pink clouds that have been the last light on the horizon.  Just taking a moment to appreciate nature's awesome beauty is enough, sometimes it's nice to snap a pic :)

 

How will you be integrating nature into your life this year?  Leave us a comment to let us know!