Balance Yourself This Year – Resolutions, Thanksgiving, Gratitude
It’s the time of year when most of us are celebrating, acknowledging the special people, things and various cultures which have developed their own stories and mythology to illustrate why this is such a special time. However, before any cultures evolved, there was, and always will be, Nature itself; known as ‘the natural world’, ‘the great outdoors’ and ‘the boundless landscape’ by many. It’s a global, unifying connection of all life that spans throughout all cultures and all peoples that is only briefly separated by time and space. So what is so special at this time of the year in Nature? We may not realize it but we have been subconsciously living by the seasons since our very inception. It’s in our DNA. We know this because different bodily functions, like our metabolism, change with the seasons. It is a phenomenon found throughout living beings, both plant and animal. It is the thing we all have in common, no matter what our individual connection to nature is. The special times of celebration in nature are directly connected to our food supply. Even though many of us buy our food at the store these days, someone still has to grow and harvest it, and they greatly depend on Nature. Nature’s cycles tell them when to cultivate the soil, feed the soil, plant the seeds, nurture the seedlings into strong healthy plants and finally, when to harvest. Nature tells us when to do the same in our own lives if we just watch, listen and let it show us the way. Living on this planet, we have no choice but to be affected by the natural cycles that occur because our bodies, minds and spirits are profoundly affected by these powerful natural forces. The short and long cycles that create changes are occurring within us, in most cases without our knowledge, because we are just too busy these days to take time out to observe our INNER GAME (which is going on 24/7). As the calendar changes to a new yearly number, I make a point to take time for reflection, no matter what hemisphere or climate zone I find myself in at the time. It is good to reflect back and take notes on how the previous year went; acknowledging the mistakes, (or ‘learning experiences’ as I prefer to call