MEMBERSHIP

Look, really LOOK, at what you are seeing, whether it is a volcano, bear, or aspen leaf. Gather as much information about the item and describe its shape, its edges, its veins, its color, its texture, its size, how it is moving. Capture what you are seeing in words.

Look at a tree. See how it moves. What are the leaf or needle shapes and the colors? What kind of tree is your favorite? Imagine you are a tree. Perhaps it is the tree you see every day when you walk outside, or a tree in your backyard or a tree in a pot on a terrace on an apartment building. Do birds land on the branches? Does a dog nap under it? Do children climb it? Describe the actions that takes place near the tree.

One of the greatest ways to connect with nature more deeply is through our breath. Breathe in a nice, slow, full breath. Close your eyes if you like. Hold it. Smile. Release slowly. Repeat as many times as you like. The air you inhale is what the tree breathes out. As we exhale carbon dioxide, the tree takes it in, uses the carbon and releases pure oxygen. We breathe in this air, and the cycle goes on and on and on. Perhaps this important relationship is just one of the many reasons why our connection with trees is so close! What does the air smell and taste like when you breathe in? Do you notice a difference compared to other places you’ve been?

It’s as easy as . . . 1, 2, Tree! Here are a couple of handy ways of identifying evergreen trees: Pine needles come in packets, or a grouping of needles attached to each other. Spruce needles are sharp, pointed and painful to run into! Fir is friendly. It’s soft to the touch and nice to brush up against. The letters underlined for each tree match and are an easy way of remembering!

When we focus on just naming a tree, it can be difficult to remember them all. Now if someone just knew your name, they wouldn’t know much about you, would they? This is the same with trees. Try taking time to go beyond the name and get to know some trees.

How do the bark or leaves smell and feel? Is the bark soft or hard? How do the leaves or needles sound in the wind? How do the veins look in the leaves? Dark or light? How big is the tree? What kind of soil is it growing in? What kind of other living creatures lives in its branches or under its bark? Like people, no two trees of the same species are exactly alike.

Write an alphabet book on the subject of what you are seeing.. A is for… B is for… C is for… ETC.

Read these two quotes:
“You don’t get sniffed when you meet an elephant face to face in its compound. You get vacuumed. The giant...pulls the scent off your body with a seemingly endless intake of breath.” Douglas Chadwick (B. 1948)
“I shall never forget my first encounter with gorillas. Sound preceded sight. Odor preceded sound in the form of a musky-barnyard, humanlike scent.” Dian Fossey (1932-1985)
Write down your experience when you saw an amazing animal. What did you see, hear, smell, and feel? What was it like? Next, write about the same experience as if you were the animal. Imagine you are a bear, moose, whale, elk, bison, mountain goat, mountain lion, etc. How do you move? What would you smell? How would the earth feel moving through the forest, the mountain, the ocean? What did it see, hear, smell and feel about its encounter with you?

Think about your trip, hike or outdoor adventure. What were your favorite:
Trees
Birds
Experiences
Programs
Trails
History or Buildings
Wildflowers
Animals
Campsites
People
Other favorites…

Pick a word and write each letter down on the left side of the page. Then write a sentence or word to the right of each letter that starts with that letter. Here’s how it works for the word “lichen”:

L- liveliness even in autumn
I- I am here
C- color of different lichen
H- hearing water trickle over rocks
E- eternal, as the natural world is
N- now, value, pleasure

By Linda Hamilton

It’s a great way of getting started. Now, think of any word or pick something in nature and try it as many times and ways as you like!

It’s not about doing it perfectly or right. It is about just getting started and letting the joy grow! The idea is to have fun!

In beauty I walk,
With beauty before me, I walk.
With beauty behind me, I walk.
With beauty above me, I walk.
With beauty below me, I walk.
With beauty all around me, I walk.

Traditional Navajo chant

Try any of these story-starters:

Once upon a time…
It was a…
Long ago and far away…
The sound of…
There in the forest…
While visiting the park…

Wait until the end to give your story a title and remember… let the words flow like a stream!

The magnificent trees, the flowing rivers, the patterns in the clouds… there is so much to be thankful for. Sometimes it’s the small things that hold such treasure.

Relax…breathe in slowly…feel gratitude for the gift of this air…feel gratitude for this day…and for the many blessings in your life. As you breathe in, just let thoughts of thankfulness come to you.

I am thankful for…

“Everything you do makes a difference. You have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.” Jane Goodall

When you see something amazing you gasp in awe or let out a big ‘wow!’ or ‘holy moly!’ It is such a wonderful thing to be amazed when we see things that really excite us. Seeing is often the first way of connection although all of our senses play a part in our experience. What you see becomes the doorway to greater understanding as you take time to listen and smell, to perhaps touch if it’s safe and not harmful to the organism.

Journaling and writing are ways to help the experience become even deeper for you. And when we are so moved by the experience we want to make sure that the beauty and magnificence is remembered and is preserved and protected for others in the future. Pick something wonderful that you saw and write a story starting with your sense of seeing, moving to listening and other senses. Then go deeper to understanding, remembering and protecting. Add drawings if you want. Share your story with others.