Using Nature to Inspire a Perspective Shift
One day, I sat on my deck and watched this tiny little spider just walking along the deck rail. I became fascinated by it, wondering where it was headed, where it had been. I put all of my attention on watching this spider for a few minutes, in childlike wonder. I was probably also talking out loud as I often do, working from home all day. “Wow, look at you! Where are you headed?” All of a sudden, this little spider appears to jump up and the next thing I knew it was gone. An audible “Oh!” came out and I jumped back, startled but not afraid. I was fascinated again. I don’t know the name of the spider, or his natural habitat, or whether he really jumped or was connected to a web somewhere that he tugged on. All I knew was that he was there one moment and then gone, and I was enamored with the experience.
Have you ever sat outside and just watched nature? I don’t mean going for a walk on a path or even a hike.
It’s a really easy thing to do. I’m sure you can find time to do it today, for a few minutes. Just sit there and listen and watch and see and observe. Listen to the birds talking back and forth. Watch a tiny bug land in front of you, its antennae exploring the world around it. Watch the leaves rustle in the trees as the wind picks up for a moment, and then listen to it all fall still again after the wind dies down. Feel the wind and notice the warmth of the sun. Watch the shadows come and go as the clouds block the light of the sun.
As you do this, consider zooming out and notice that whatever small or large ecosystem you are observing has its own system of life and death and sustainment that keeps itself going without any human intervention or control. Bees and hummingbirds are pollinating so that plants can grow and bear fruit so that birds can eat the fruit. Small bugs are breaking down the plants that have died and fertilizing the soil so that the soil is ripe for new plant growth and the cycle of birth and life and death just keep going and going. Daily, annually, over centuries even.
Slowing down enough, widening and narrowing your lens to see the bigger and smaller patterns that emerge in our lives and the world around us can give us a whole new perspective to see through.
The next time you are in nature, or even right now as you’re sitting here reading this — imagine what it’s like to be a tiny bug. You land on a flower or a leaf or the ground. What would you notice? What would you hear, what would you see? How might that feel?
Imagine again, but as a bird. You can see the tree tops. You can see the entire city. You can hear the wind singing to you. You can glide and catch the wind to take you higher.
From here, what perspective shifts might you be inspired to take as you go throughout your day?
