Skip to content

    “To you, it was just picking flowers.  To them, it was a massacre.” ~ Iain Thomas, I Wrote This For You

      “Nature is our mother.  Because we live cut off from her, we get sick.  Some of us live in boxes called apartments, very high above the ground.  Around us are only cement, metal, and hard things like that.  Our fingers do not have a chance to touch the soil; we don’t grow lettuce anymore.  Because we are so distant from our Mother Earth, we become sick.  That is why we need to go out from time to time and be in nature.  It is very important.” ~ Thich Nhat Hanh, Peace is Every Step

        “A human being is part of the whole called by us ‘the universe,’ a part limited in time and space.  He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings, as something separate from the rest – a kind of optical delusion of consciousness.  This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and affection of a few persons nearest to us.  Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of understanding and compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.” ~ Albert Einstein, via Solitude

          “If at all possible, commune with nature daily.  A quick walk through the woods or even a few minutes spent cultivating your tomato garden in the backyard will reconnect you to the wellspring of calm that may now be dormant within you.  Being with nature also allows you to tune in to the infinite wisdom of your highest self.  This self-knowledge will move you into the uncharted dimensions of your personal power.  Never forget this.” ~ Robin S. Sharma, The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari

            “The majesty of the snow-capped peaks of the Himalayas made his heart beat faster and, for one long moment, took his breath away.  He felt a oneness with his surroundings, a kind of kinship that two old friends might enjoy after many years spent listening to each other’s innermost thoughts and laughing at each other’s jokes.  The fresh mountain air cleared his mind and energized his spirit.  Having travelled the world many times over, [he] had thought he had seen it all.  But he had never seen beauty like this.  The wonders of which he drank at that magical time were an exquisite tribute to the symphony of nature.  At once he felt joyous, exhilarated and carefree.  It was here, high above the humanity below, that [he] slowly ventured out of the cocoon of the ordinary and began to explore the realm of the extraordinary.” ~ Robin S. Sharma, The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari

              “Living closer to nature helps simplify because nature itself, though complex, keeps us in tune with basic rhythms and pleasures that never change and that provide grounding. When our family moved next to a farm, we found simplicity in the food we ate and in new sources for our entertainment and pleasure. Learning how to ride a horse is a complicated process, but riding is a simple pleasure that offers lasting satisfaction.”

              Thomas Moore, Original Self | ★ Featured on this book list.

                “When our lives are always connected, being disconnected can be a relief.” ~ Leo Babauta, Zen Habits

                  “I like to walk alone on country paths,
                  rice plants and wild grasses on both sides,
                  putting each foot down on the earth
                  in mindfulness, knowing
                  that I walk on the wondrous earth.
                  In such moments, existence is a miraculous
                  and mysterious reality.

                  People usually consider walking on water
                  or in thin air a miracle.
                  But I think the real miracle
                  is not to walk either on water or in thin air,
                  but to walk on earth.
                  Every day we are engaged in a miracle
                  which we don’t even recognize:
                  a blue sky, white clouds, green leaves,
                  the black, curious eyes of a child–
                  our own two eyes.
                  All is a miracle.”

                  ~ Thich Nhat Hanh

                    “Knowing trees, I understand the meaning of patience. Knowing grass, I can appreciate persistence.” ~ Hal Borland