Nature, Creativity, Vocation & Success

First I was dying to finish high school and start college. And then I was dying to finish college and start my career. And then I was dying to marry and have children. And then I was dying for my children to grow old enough for school so I could return to work. And then I was dying to retire. Now, I am dying…and suddenly I realize I forgot to live~ anonymous~

Humans like nature have constantly evolved throughout time by adapting to change in an effort to survive, multiply and thrive. I’m currently taking a class where we have to be prepared to meet outside in the forest every week despite, rain, sleet or snow. I must say that it has been a somewhat challenging, yet awesome experience for me. The IDS 400 course at Guilford College increased my level of  awareness concerning myself and the environment we live in. It was not long after spending more time outdoors with the natural world that I was reminded that sometimes less is more…meaning, sometimes we as people get so far ahead of ourselves that we lose the concept of understanding and appreciating the basics in life, which so happen to be the very core or foundation of who we are. Sometimes we spend so much time and energy focusing on the scientific and or business aspects of life, that we lose balance by forgetting to actually live life at the same time. Our time here on earth is limited so we must make a conscious effort to enjoy every minute of it while doing something that’s important and meaningful to our lives and the lives of others. It’s all about finding the right balance and connection to ourselves, with each other and the natural environment we live in. True understanding of our connection to life, our environment and to each other comes when we stop searching for it and just begin to live by experiencing it. In other words, we learn through experience…”As children, we do not first learn by reading or studying the formalities of syntax and grammar or by memorizing the dictionary definitions of words, but rather by actively making sounds by crying in pain and laughing in joy, by squealing and babbling and playfully mimicking the surrounding soundscape, of the language our resonant bodies slowly coming to echo the inflections and accents common to our locale and community. We thus learn our native language not mentally but bodily.” (Spell of the Sensuous, Abram, 1996).