‘Nature Is How We Reset’
“In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks.” (John Muir)
We tend to think rest means collapsing on the couch, scrolling the phone, or binge watching another show until late. So often we get up from all of that feeling more tired than before. “Tired from being more tired’. There is a real difference between simply stopping and truly resting, and somewhere along the way we have quietly forgotten it.
Real rest does not just pause you; it restores you. It fills the tank back up rather than slowly draining it. And one of the deepest, simplest forms of rest available to any of us is nature.
We Were Never Meant to Live Indoors
Here is the thing we forget. We are not separate from nature; we are part of it. Our bodies were shaped over countless years under open sky, near water, trees and earth, not under fluorescent lights and glowing screens. When we step outside and let the natural world back in, something in us exhales. The nervous system softens. The shoulders drop.
In my book I talk about how we seem to be quietly attuned to the rhythms of the Earth itself. The gentle rustle of leaves, the flow of a stream, the warmth of sunlight on your skin, these are not small things. They settle something in us at a level far below our thinking, reminding the body that it is safe, and that it belongs.
Nature Is ‘The Garden’ Made Real
Readers of my work will know I talk about ‘The Garden,’ the calm, clear, alive place within us that is the opposite of the cluttered chaos of ‘The Tip.’ Nature is ‘The Garden’ made real and visible. Birdsong, a breeze moving through the leaves, green in every direction. Stepping into the natural world is one of the fastest ways I know to walk straight back into ‘The Garden’ inside yourself. The calm on the outside quietly becomes the calm within.
Find Your Place
Everyone has a place that does this for them. For one person it is the beach, the sound of the waves undoing every knot. For another it is a bush track, a quiet river, a park bench under a big old tree, a mountain lookout, or simply the backyard at first light with a cup of tea. You know yours and your whole body settles the moment you arrive. Pay attention to where that happens for you.
For me, it is a few favourite spots around Melbourne that feel like open country, all within a twenty-minute drive from home. I go there to sit in the peace and quiet, and somehow, away from the noise, I can see things in my life clearly again. That is what the right place does. It does not only rest you, it clears the glass so you can see clearly.
Go There Often
The mistake most of us make is saving nature for the once-a-year holiday, as though rest is a reward we earn only after everything else is done. It is the other way around. Rest is not the prize at the end; it is the fuel for the whole journey. Small and regular beats rare and grand. Ten minutes barefoot on the grass, a weekly walk among the trees, or a few quiet minutes watching the sky will do more for you than one big escape a year.
A Question to Sit With
This week, carry one gentle question with you. And please hear it with no judgement, life gets busy and loud, and we all forget to go:
‘Where is the place that truly rests me, and when did I last let myself go there?’
Nature is how we rest. Find the place that does that for you and go there often. Your mind, your body and your spirit will thank you for it.
Have a great week,
Michael
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