What can nature teach us?

Whether you are taking a stroll through a dense forest, standing barefoot on an ocean beach, scrambling towards a mountain summit, or scaling a rock wall, there is always something that nature can gift to us.

Some elements of nature, such as water, rock, or trees, can show us a different aspect of ourselves.

• Water represents the flow of life, in the way it easily flows around obstacles and keeps going forward no matter what gets in its way. The deep waters represent the depths of our soul – it is the home of our Spirit. In fact, we are more water beings than we are earth – simply look at how much of our body is made of water – well beyond half. Water also cleanses and brings with it a rebirth energy - which is partly why taking a shower or a soak in a bath can reset us energetically/emotionally.

• Rocks represent stability and strength. They remind us that change can still come even when we have a solid foundation of strength and stability – but with that change a rock always knows it’s a rock and continues to remain stable with that solid inner strength, even as the world is slowing chipping away at it or wearing it down.

• Trees represent strength in connection, communication, and community. Trees are not individual – they are a collective with their massive root structures that connect underground and in communion with the mycelium they can speak to each other. Trees also represent stillness – they wait for what they need to come to them and unable to move, they work together to protect when what doesn’t serve them comes their way.

When we tap into the energy of these elements of nature while outdoors, we can slowly raise the awareness of, and find, those characteristics within ourselves.

Exploring the outdoors presents many ways we can discover more about ourselves and there are always lessons or insights we can take away. In addition to the beauty and serene calm often experienced when outside, I have also always valued the lessons that nature has gifted me.

I’d like to share a brief story to illustrate this point.

As some of you may be aware, I had a major surgery several months back after experiencing massive blood loss. My road to recovery has been both fast, and slow. Fast in that my physical wounds from the surgery healed very quickly and I was able to get back to life sooner than expected.

However, it has also been slow in that my traumatic experience rocked my "biological" boat – chemical and hormone systems in my body experienced a massive shock and took some time to settle. Old viral remnants were reactivated. My muscles and nerves in the area of my surgery are still trying to return to full balance.

I am someone who enjoys the outdoors, especially in the mountains – hiking, backpacking, snowshoeing, scrambling, and climbing. Thankfully, I have been able to get back out and have been able to make several trips on the snow or on a trail over the past two months.

This week was my first return to scrambling on exposed rock, albeit a smaller summit.

(Scrambling means using what God gave you - your own body, and not relying on ropes or anchors to climb towards a summit. In scrambling, the terrain is amenable to this type of climbing and is not what some would think of as freeclimbing a rock wall).

As part of my recovery, I have been listening to my body – since NOT listening to it is what brought me to this place to begin with.

My body has been telling me to take it slow when it comes to training. So I haven’t returned to my full training regimen – I haven’t been doing the more intense aspects of training for the mountains.

So, when I headed out to scramble towards a small summit, I wondered what the experience would be like. I knew it would be challenging in some ways, but I knew it was time to do it. The mental, emotional, and spiritual aspects of my healing journey needed me to work through any discomfort or fear this adventure presented, and prove to myself that I still “had” it.

This is one of the most powerful aspects of getting out into the mountains for me. The lessons we learn while challenging ourselves and pushing through and past our fears is incredibly empowering – and this empowerment always follows me back into my daily life.

There are of course other ways to conquer our fears and empower ourselves, and we don’t need to climb a mountain to do it, but I have always felt this connection with the outdoors and the mountains, and so it works very well for me.

As we began the steeper portion of our scramble, where we needed to push ourselves up through rocky terrain, my leg muscles began to fatigue early (something I knew would likely happen). So I took it slower than I normally would, but the fatigue was real.

About halfway up, and just as we were approaching the portions of the scramble where there was exposure (meaning if I slipped there was potential to fall and really hurt myself), and where technique with foot placement, body positioning, and hand holds were more important, I felt like I had already gone through an intensive leg workout at the gym. My legs were tired and a bit shaky (which is not a normal experience for me).

In that moment I recognized a loss of confidence in my own body, and a little bit of fear tried to take root. I wasn’t sure I could trust my legs to push me up whenever bigger moves/steps were needed. This layered with my very real fear of heights created a challenge that I needed to overcome and work through.

Mountains offer a very rich experience in exploring ourselves. When out there in the mountains, those challenges are almost always able to be overcome with the right mindset and approach. (unless of course nature has other ideas)

• Support and knowing you are not alone helps in the mountains – just as it does in life.

• Slowing down and listening to your body, taking your time, helps in the mountains – just as it does in life.

• Having awareness of where you are and where you are placing your feet as you climb towards your goal helps in the mountains - just as it does in life.

• Keeping your head up and looking at what’s ahead, instead of moving forward blindly, helps in the mountains – just as it does in life.

• Calming your nervous system through breathing and centering yourself as you work through a fear helps in the mountains – just as it does in life.

• Continuing to move forward, even while your thoughts are telling you to turn around (because you are outside of your comfort zone), helps in the mountains – just as it does in life.

• Taking one step, one move at a time, helps in the mountains – just as it does in life.

• Remembering to take care of your physical body with proper hydration and properly timed fuel helps in the mountains – just as it does in life.

I should share that I did summit, and while this one was small compared to other summits I've scaled - in that moment it felt like a great accomplishment following my journey of the previous several months. I felt great sitting at the top in the sunshine looking out across the vista. It was a moment of celebration - but also, it was a lot of fun. :)

The mountains have gifted me so many lessons over the years - lessons that I continue to reflect on long after the fact. They not only offer great beauty, a way to escape the busyness of our lives, or a way to connect with nature - they also gift us lessons of courage, overcoming fear, perseverance, and so much more.

May your dreams be larger than mountains and may you have the courage to scale their summits. – Harley King

Next time you are out in nature, reflect on your surroundings and what it can teach you. Safely challenge yourself to push past your fears or what you see as any shortcomings. After all, we are very much connected with it – nature is part of us and we are part of it - and in that way there is much it can show us about ourselves and the world around us.