Look around you. Smell the air, feel the breeze. Notice the trees, the grasses, the birds. Observing nature is a simple matter of taking time to notice. What are they doing today? How are they interacting? How is that different from yesterday or an hour ago?
What birds are native to your location and where do they nest? When do they nest? Have you noticed what direction the rain usually come from where you live? Where does the water flow across the land when it rains? Are there some places where it pools and floods? And others that are always dry?
Stop. Look. Listen.
Many of us in this fast paced busy modern world have never stopped to think about such things. We don’t notice. There is a disconnect from the world just outside our door.
We can perhaps tell you if it’s sunny or raining. But how many have stopped in the last 24 hours just for 5 minutes to look around and notice what creation is saying? If you know the names of some local birds and trees, that is great! But many don’t. Our ears have become dull to the sound of the earth and all she can teach us. We have lost the skill of observing and knowing the natural world in which we live.
This is not universally true. If you are a gardener or a farmer, you are more likely to be watching more closely. Unfortunately though, our modern industrialized mindset is so imbedded in our psyche, that as a society we can even approach gardening and farming with a divide and conquer attitude. We want to spray the bugs, add the NPK and have a guaranteed perfect harvest.
The Skill of Observing Nature
Just a handful of decades ago, observation was a much more common skill. For some of us our grandparents, and more likely our great grandparents, would have grown up with the ability to be still, to watch and learn. The further you go back in time, the more people there were who were connected to the natural world in which they lived. They had to be! They needed to know when to sow their seeds, when it was likely to rain and what creatures were around who might disturb the seeds or the harvest.
The ability to read the sky and the behaviors of wildlife to predict the coming weather were skills that were passed from parents and grandparents to children. It was organic and timeless. No one probably thought about it. It was as natural as breathing. The knowledge of where to find edible and medicinal plants and how to prepare them for use, was held in common.
I long to reclaim this knowledge for my children. I love to sit and chat to older folk who remember these days and glean wisdom from their recollections. Sadly these conversations are few and far between.
Powerful Lessons From the Past
I remember a few scattered conversations with my grandfather. Like the time he told me the reason there was a couple of lone lemon trees planted up high on the ridge above the house, was so that the tree could survive the hard frosts that hit the valley floor in the middle of winter. I remember trudging up those steep slopes with a bucket to gather the juicy fruit.
One of the greatest gifts my dad ever gave me was his love for the land and a desire to know and understand it. He was a true Aussie bushman. He had a great love and respect for God’s creation and a deep belief that it was our job to care for, nurture and work with it. It meant a great deal to him to pass this knowledge on to his children.
The Habit of Attention
I remember long talks he would give us while we were loading fire wood into the trailer up on the side of the mountain, or walking along the creek bed down in the gully, or checking fence lines – he would talk about a myriad of topics but all to do with the land and animals in the valley we lived in. He was constantly admonishing me, “keep your eyes open, be observant.”
As children we ran all over those hills, climbed the trees, explored the gullies and creek beds – everyday practicing the habit of attention without even knowing it. Dad’s talks just added to what we were naturally doing as children playing outside.
“A Good Bushman Always Pays Attention”
One occasion in particular illustrates the point. We had been working all morning up in one of the back paddocks cutting and loading fire wood from some old fallen trees on the side of the mountain. Before lighting a fire to boil the billy for morning tea, he squatted down, cocked his head on one side and said,
“Now kids, how are you going to find dry kindling if there’s been rain and all the sticks on the ground are wet?” It had been raining that morning. My brothers offered a childish answer or two and I hoped he wouldn’t ask me directly… then he walked us over to a nearby tree (I think it was a paperbark) that was growing on a slight angle. He pointed out that if we looked on the underside of the tree we could peel off some dry bark that hadn’t been wet with the rain and gather enough dry kindling to get that cup of tea. “Look around you”, he said. “A good bushman always pays attention to his surroundings.”
Not everyone grew up with the privileged childhood that I had. We were very poor but our life was rich in natural wonders and experiences. I didn’t realize at the time, although I loved my childhood, just how fortunate I was.
There’s No Shame in Not Knowing
My husband grew up in a loving home in the city. He lived the life of a ‘normal’ suburbanite. There was very little exposure to nature other than his backyard or local city parks. Much can be observed in those places if you are awake to the possibilities but for the most part those who have no example to follow will not know to look.
That is nothing to be ashamed of. Don’t feel bad if you have never noticed the finer details of the natural world around you. You don’t know what you don’t know.
Awakening Wonder by Observing Nature
Instead take another step outside with me. Walk out onto the verandah (or porch if you like the sound of that better), wander out under that big tree in the backyard. And stop. That’s the key. Just stop. Breathe. Notice that warm waft of air… is there a scent of lavender or jasmine on the breeze? Which direction is the breeze blowing from?
Let your gaze wander about… did you see that bluebird light on that branch, then duck down to the ground to grab an insect or worm? Or perhaps it is raining and you stay under the cover of the verandah and listen to the steady drumming of the rain on the roof, and the drip drip dripping of the eaves. Close your eyes and breathe in the smell of fresh rain penetrating warm hot soil.
A frog starts to croak out his approval of the downpour. A sparrow dashes in and lands on the rail, shaking the water out of its feathers. Where is the water running? Did you see it gather into a low spot and run into the corner of the yard down by one fenceline? Hear it gurgle and splash.
Wherever you are, whatever your outside world looks like… pause. Allow yourself the sheer joy of awakening to the world around you. Treat your senses. Take time to look, to smell, to listen, to touch and sometimes even taste the wonder of it all. This is not time wasted. It is well spent. Invest in your bank of observations and knowledge of creation.
Observing Nature: It’s Never Too Late
My husband is the perfect example of someone who had no experience or exposure to studying nature, but has decided he wants to know and learn. Really that’s all it is. A decision. It starts with an awakening to the idea that there is more to know and that it matters. Then a decision to learn. He is daily building his storehouse of knowledge and observations of the natural world. He is excited and passionate about learning and passing on his knowledge to our children. The circle is continuing as it ought and always used to.
In this new land to which we’ve moved, I feel like I am starting completely from scratch with learning about the world around me. New animals, new trees, new birds, new weather patterns. It is all new! There was a lot I didn’t know in Australia. But everything was comfy and familiar and I had a large reservoir of knowledge that I leant on to help me understand the things I didn’t know. Not so here. From the squirrels to the water moccasins to the trees in my backyard, I am a complete newby.
It is an exciting new world and I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to explore it. Join me in the wonder of watching and learning as we step outside each day and pay attention a little bit more.
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