Nature and Us!

by: Rolland Smith

Do you ever wonder about our constant and continuous connection to nature? With all the talk of climate change, we all should wonder. 

Yesterday here in the West, it was cold and windy. This coming weekend, the temperatures are supposed to be in the nineties. 

There is a knowing connection to the magnificence of nature in warmth, in the cold, in the wind, and the calm of a pleasant day. All we have to do is acknowledge it to feel a simpatico relationship with our spirit. 

We are attuned to nature because we are nature ourselves. We use the gifts of nature to enhance our well-being and comfort, enjoy the sun, and grow our crops.

Nature is music. What would a classic violin composition be without the resonance of curly maple and spruce to amplify the string vibrations of a skilled musician? What would an evening be without crickets and peepers, or the early morn be without the tuneful melody of the feathered ones?

Nature is not just outdoors or within us. Nature is everywhere. 

I sat at my kitchen counter and looked closely at the granite top. Is this not nature at its best connection? The granite from deep within the earth was mined, polished, and then usefully formed into a countertop. I took a moment to touch the surface in respect and appreciation for its intrinsic beauty, form, and usefulness.

Outside the window were the flowing rows of green grapevines. A plethora of verdant wine grapes festoons the wires that guide the vines. I was filled with appreciation. No wonder green is the healing color.

Tonight I watched the sunset as the approaching dark oozed onto the canvas of the sky. I acknowledged once again that light is the power, the grace, the spirit of balance for all things and creatures. Night has its place but no power. Night holds the moonlight and the starlight in reverence to remind us that the morning light is only moments away.

We are ONE, you and I and nature. We are also the nature we abuse and love. Let us be more diligent in our caring.

Used with permission from the author - Rolland Smith

Photo: Joe Baust