Sitting in traffic on my way home from the library the other day, I got to thinking:

Nature – the great outdoors – is a lot like the public library.

Nature is space free for all to visit, all to peruse, all to enjoy – paid for by tax dollars, public & private benefactors, and citizen fundraising; maintained by forest rangers and naturalists (the librarians of their wild spaces) and the enthusiasm of volunteers.

We go to the library to learn: a vast collection of non-fiction books on every topic imaginable, waiting to be read and gleaned from. There is always something new to be found on a library shelf.  We can go to nature to learn as well.  Every walk in the woods will reveal something new.

Come forth into the light of things,
Let Nature be your teacher. ~William Wordsworth

Earth and sky, woods and fields, lakes and rivers, the mountain and the sea, are excellent schoolmasters, and teach some of us more than we can ever learn from books. ~John Lubbock

You will find something more in woods than in books. Trees and stones will teach you that which you can never learn from masters. ~St. Bernard

We go to the library for enjoyment: genre upon genre of fiction, poetry, picture books, movies, comics, how-to books. We can go out in nature for enjoyment too.  A mud-puddle and a mountain are always ready to provide a new experience.

when the world is mud-luscious…[and] puddle-wonderful. ~e.e. cummings

Forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair. ~Khalil Gibran

Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature’s peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves. As age comes on, one source of enjoyment after another is closed, but Nature’s sources never fail. ~John Muir

Just as our minds long for ideas that we can find in a book at the library, so our hearts and eyes long for nature – photos of breath-takingly beautiful nature scenes abound on Pinterest, are shared on Instagram, and hang on the walls of homes & offices around the world.

With innovation and technology, seems we have forgotten to cherish the true beauty the world has to offer. ~A.C. Van Cherub

Yet, unlike the library – still a place of generally hushed reverence (except during toddler story time!), nature is often carelessly used as a dumping ground – tires, empty cans, golf balls, and a large collection of half-filled plastic water bottles litter the creek near my home. Would you ever find these in your local library? Who keeps the library clean? Who keeps the natural spaces around your home clean?

If we all treated nature more like the library, I think the world would be a better place. We borrow. We return. We pay our fines when owed. We preserve. We respect. We enjoy!

May you find yourself out in nature or in a library today — better yet, both!

Are you planning a Full Moon walk with your family this week?  This month’s Full Moon is on April 4, 2015 — traditionally called the Pink Moon, is also going to include the first total lunar eclipse of 2015!

A lunar eclipse occurs when the moon is in the Earth’s shadow. In some locations, the shadowing can cast a red glow on the moon, and so the moon can also be called a Blood Moon.

Solar and lunar eclipses always arrive in pairs — the lunar eclipse coming 2 weeks after the solar eclipse.  This and other interesting eclipse tidbits can be found at timeanddate.com — the website includes viewing information, video clips, and helpful explanations.

Download your free Full Moon Walk tracker  and enjoy this special time outside in nature!

Do you have a nature habit? Have you made nature part of your daily or weekly rhythm? Sometimes it is hard to make “getting outside” a priority, even when we know the benefits, including recent studies showing the importance of sunlight to vision!

I’ve just finished skimming the book The ONE Thing* by Gary Keller. The premise of the book (highly recommended!) is that in order to have more of what we want in our life, we need to focus on less. Our focus needs to be on our ONE thing. He acknowledges that we will have many priorities in our lives, but each of us has something that matters most and that is our ONE thing.
Right now, my ONE Thing is getting myself and my children outside every day, as a habit. Just as we eat every day, and we sleep every day — we go outside every day. To notice, to know, to be.

The ONE Thing is full of quotes which inspire me to making going outside a daily habit.

At the end of Chapter 2: The Domino Effect, Gary says:

The key is over time. Success is built sequentially. It’s one thing at a time.

The benefits of time in nature happen over time. Getting out every day — whatever the weather — will get us there.

Chapter 4: Everything Matters Equally opens with a quote by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe:

Things which matter most must never be at the mercy of things which matter least.

This is followed by:

The things which are most important don’t always scream the loudest. –Bob Hawke

Everyone’s “matters most” will be different from their “matters least” – but the thing that screams the loudest for our attention likely isn’t time in nature. And it probably comes via an electronic device of some kind.   At least, that generally is the case in my house.

So how do we make nature time a habit?

Well, in Chapter 6: A Disciplined Life, Gary tells us:

There is this pervasive idea that the successful person is the “disciplined person” who leads a “disciplined life.”

It’s a lie.

He says that we don’t need more discipline; we need more habit. And just enough discipline to form that habit. How long to form a habit? More than the often cited 21 or 28 days, apparently. Gary references a University College of London study which found it takes, on average, 66 days to form a habit. Yesterday was our family’s 34^th day of getting outside in a row – we’re halfway to a habit!

A final quote from the book I will share is by F.M. Alexander and comes from Chapter 12: The Path to Great Answers:

People do not decide their futures, they decide their habits and their habits decide their futures.

What habits are deciding your future?  Do you have a nature habit?  Leave a comment or share a link and let us know!

*This page may contain affiliate links which help support the site, click here & scroll to the bottom of the page for full disclosure.

On the rare occasion that I’m walking the dog or driving the car alone, I enjoy listening to podcasts. Here are my 3 favorites about the importance of nature in kids’, and all of our, lives!

1) Nature Kids Radio with Kenny Ballentine

Kenny blogs at A Sense of Wonder and is the founder of The Nature Kids Institute. I started listening with Episode 1 and was hooked. Saving what we love, creating a passion for nature, solve problems forming deep connections with natue, getting outside to learn — all these things are discussed by Kenny and his guests.

So far only 5 episodes have been produced; I’m looking forward to many more!

2) Parenting Adventures Podcast with Michael Stelzner

Michael is the founder of My Kids Adventures website, which encourages families to have fun together – many of suggested activities are outside in nature! The podcast episodes that focus on nature include sticks, dirt, wildlife, and exploring the outdoors. I wish this podcast was still on going, but at least there are 12 to enjoy!

3) S’more Outdoor with Brett Traudt

I love this name, so clever!  Brett’s podcast isn’t focused on kids but rather interviewing business folks who have been positively influenced by their time in nature.  Sometimes seeing the long term effects of nature makes me more inclined to take my kids outside, even when I don’t feel like it.  Brett’s S’more Outdoor website includes nice links to state & national parks in the USA.

I originally started out listening to Brett’s Get S’more Outdoor podcast where he rambled about the “nature effect” and “recovering childlike wonder” – Brett appreciates nature and wants to share it!

Do you have any recommendations for podcasts that encourage getting out in nature?  Please share!