Fostering a Love of Nature in the Younger Generation

This weekend my husband and I met our daughter and granddaughter on the North Shore of Lake Superior. There are so many lovely views along the way. Majestic Lake Superior, beautiful waterfalls, and forests all make for an enjoyable day surrounded by natural beauty. Our granddaughter is 5 years old and a smart little girl with a naturally inquisitive nature, that made this day even more special.

As we voyaged along the North Shore, we made many stops. The first was at Gooseberry falls and the last was at the Temperance River. The paths were covered with snow, slush and ice from the recent April blizzard we had. But that didn’t stop us. That little girl was always excited to get out of the vehicle to see what new experiences this stop would bring her, what new path to trot down and what new sights to see. It was such a joy to watch her as she darted here and there. I could see her falling in love with this area of the country that I love so much.

Our other grandchildren love the outdoors just as much. They enjoy playing outside every chance they get. They love to hike down paths through the woods, are excited about upcoming camping trips, and enjoy getting to see the wildlife that are part of these types of adventures. Fostering this type of love in our youngsters does a couple of things. It helps them and it helps the planet.

It helps them by giving them an escape, that we all need sometimes. They learn that the world has so much to offer. There is more to life than just the TV and tablets. They learn that fun, as well as peace, can be found by getting out into nature. Helping them develop a love of nature at a young age gives them an opportunity to develop several coping mechanisms as they age. Going hiking and camping, are parts of my life, that help me during tough times. Paddling a Kayak down river, after a stressful day, helps all the tension melt away. When we introduce children to these things at a young age, it gives them more for their tool box as they age.

It helps the world by producing more people who will want to protect it. They are less likely to take actions in the future that could cause harm to the planet, when they see how special the natural world is. When they fall in love with Mother Nature and all she has to offer them, they are more invested in taking care of her. They will not all become tree hugging hippies but they may become responsible with their trash, recycle, or choose products with packaging that is earth friendly.

Just as our little granddaughter had a blast exploring the beauty around us, I enjoyed watching her fall in love with the earth. Do you have children in your life? what kinds of things do you do with them out in nature? I would love to hear about your adventures with little ones.

Thank you for reading my blog today. I love you! May you enjoy the world of nature with any little ones in your life, as if by magic.

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Plastic a go-go

I have decided to reduce my usage of plastic. I feel bad when I see articles about plastic being found in the bellies of sea life and that so much of it cannot even be recycled by our local recycling facilities. I want to do my part to reduce the use of plastic. I was raised Catholic and all my Catholic friends and family are talking about what changes they will make for Lent. For those of you who do not know, Lent is a 40 day period when Catholics make some sort of sacrifice or commit to do more good deeds. Although I am no longer a practicing Catholic, I decided Lent was a perfect time to start a commitment to decrease my consumption of plastic.

Right off the bat, I learned that at this time, I cannot completely eliminate plastic in my life. Making this conscious effort to decrease my use of plastic has fully brought to my attention how it is everywhere. Let’s just start with my yesterday. It was a travel day for me. That meant I was served my first beverage of the morning on the airplane. My water was given to me in a plastic cup, so I decide on the next flight to ask for the can of water without any ice and therefore eliminated the use of that plastic cup. For lunch I grabbed take out so I could get into the office and get to work. The takeout summer rolls were wrapped in plastic and came with a little plastic sauce cup of peanut sauce for dipping, that also had a little plastic cover on it. Then it was in a cardboard box which was placed inside a plastic bag with plastic utensils and a napkin. I do not carry my own shampoo and conditioner with me when I travel. I just use whatever is in the hotel room. That is nicely package in more little plastic bottles. When I checked into the hotel I was given 2 plastic bottles of water. For breakfast this morning I just grabbed some oatmeal to go. I put it in a disposable coffee mug and covered it with a plastic cover. Wow, this is going to be much harder than I thought, now that I see how much plastic I really do use.

I am having some success in the early phase of my efforts though. At home we are avoiding using the zip lock bags that I love so much. When we empty one that was used prior to this initiative, we rinse it out to reuse it. Out leftovers are getting put into storage containers that are reusable instead of plastic baggies. I am not using the plastic wrap either. If I do need to cover something, I am using tinfoil or putting it in reusable mason jars. Both my husband and I have reusable travel mugs and water bottles. We use those rather than plastic bottled water. We recycle the plastic items that come as packaging on things we buy. We use reusable shopping bags or ask for no bag whenever possible.

Just becoming aware of our use of plastic has got me thinking about how and where can I make other, better choices. Hopefully more and more companies will understand the damage this is doing to our planet and start to decrease plastic packaging. Better yet, switch over to biodegradable packaging. Until then, we will do what we can to make a difference. Even a small step can make a big difference, especially if a lot of people join in. You do not have to be a total “no plastic” purist, to have your small efforts matter.

Thank you for reading my blog today. I love you. May you follow the call of your heart wherever it may lead you, as if by magic.

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Empaths; 6 Different Types

I host a monthly gathering for seekers who want to learn more. It is a wonderful group of people who accept the others in the group without question. It is a safe place to ask questions, be yourself, and learn more about the metaphysical world. This month’s topic was Empaths. As I was preparing information to share with the group I came across some interesting information that I did not realize. Did you know there are 6 different types of Empaths? Here’s a look at what I found.

Those who connect with emotions – I think this is the type most people think of, when they think of an Empath. I know it is what I thought of. These are people who can feel other’s emotions. When this type of empath is not aware of their nature, they may feel the heaviness we they walk in a room but not know why or how. When they embrace they’re power they can actually sense it and then change the mood of the room with their light.
Those who connect with animals – These type of empaths are the folks that go into animal communication. They just “get” animals more than others. You may even have heard them called (dog, cat, horse) “whisperers”. Even when they are not aware of their nature, they may still be drawn to work with animals as vets or sitters. They may even choose to be vegetarians because the ideas of eating the flesh of other sentinal beings is just too much for them.
Those who connect with plants – These are the people just know when the house plants need to be watered, not because the dirt feels dry, but because they feel the needs of the plants and them calling for it. These people may be literal “tree huggers” as they hear the trees sending them messages and want to connect with them. Even when these empaths do not know their true nature they may drift towards work in fields that allow them to work with plants or in forests. They may also have amazing green thumbs.
Those who connect with the Earth – These lovely souls feel the pain of the planet. They intuitively know if an area is polluted. Even if they do not know their true nature, they may be environmentalist or fight for Mother Earth through other means. Adventure Sister Emy is definitely this type of empath. It is what motivated her to run for political office.
Those who connect with other people’s body issues – These people are medical intuitive. They know where there is illness in others bodies or feel the specific pains of the person they are working with. They may walk into a room and suddenly have a headache, which is of course not their headache, but they take on the feeling (pain) that someone else in the room is going through. Many times removing the pain from that person to their own detriment.
Those who connect with thoughts – These empaths just know what to say. They do not feel the emotions of the person, as the first type did, but rather just have a ‘knowing’ of that person. These people, even if they do not know their true nature, are just good with people. They interview well, because they know what the other wants to hear. They are that person who always knows what to say to you and when to say it. Somehow they just know what you need to hear.

If you are an empath you may have components of many of these, or even all of them. Likely one is more prominent for you than the rest. Maybe you do not know if you are an empath or not, but you do not have to know or label yourself one. Now that you know of these different traits, to the various types of empaths, you can watch and see if any of these things show up in your life or sound like you.

Thank you for reading my blog today. I love you. May you have a life of feeling comfortable in your own skin, as if by magic.

*Photo was taken in Columbia River Gorge, Oregon.

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