Lean Into the Call of Nature

In my final May blog, the theme this month being advice and ideas I want to pass along to my kids, I want share what might look obvious given the fact that I’m on an Everest expedition. However obvious it may appear, it’s even more profound.

I implore you, often, to lean in to the call of nature.

There are so many life lessons to be found, witnessed, and absorbed by spending time in nature. Somehow nature contains harmony amongst so much chaos. All the various plants, animals, weather conditions, and seasons, which can be at odds find a harmonious rhythm that works and that respects all that is contained.

You, my kids, are growing up in one of nature’s most beautiful playgrounds – Park City, Utah. You’re able to appreciate and do so much in the outdoors, from mountain-biking and hiking in the summer, to skiing and sledding in the winter. I hope this childhood roots you to nature so that you know you always have her. You can always choose Mother Nature to feel more connected to your life, family, and purpose.

No, you do not need to climb Mt. Everest to feel this, but I promised you will be a calmer, more centered being by crouching down to grab a fistful of dirt, laying a hand on the bark of a beautiful tree, listening to the crunch of footsteps on fallen autumn leaves, or gazing at the ocean with the sand between your toes.

When life delivers some bad news, as it will, and often unexpectedly, I encourage you to find your spot in nature and soak up the harmony around you while you work through challenges. Wherever you choose to live the chapters of your life, I encourage you to explore the nature around you – even if it’s a green park in the middle of a city! – to cultivate the joy of your childhood and to create a collection of spots that are yours to root in. I hope that by the time your life is long and full, that your collection of beautiful natural spots spans the globe and that you can go there in an instant in your mind!

And, when you can’t quite get to nature, and need the boost that nature can provide, here are some great quotes to help get you to an improved mindset:

“The mountains are calling and I must go.” – John Muir

“Of all the paths you take in life, make sure a few of them are dirt.” – John Muir

“In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks.” – John Muir

“When one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the rest of the world.” – John Muir

“Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.” – Albert Einstein

“There is pleasure in the pathless woods, there is rapture in the lonely shore, there is society where none intrudes, by the deep sea, and music in its roar; I love not Man the less, but Nature the more.” – Lord Byron

“The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever.” – Jacques Cousteau

“There are always flowers for those who want to see them.” – Henri Matisse

“Like music and art, love of nature is a common language that can transcend political or social boundaries.” – Jimmy Carter

“All good things are wild, and free.” – Henry David Thoreau

“In wildness is the preservation of the world.” – Henry David Thoreau