The Natural World: Not Black and White

"Blue" can be more than a subdued or sad mood.

Noticing the blues of water, skies and, yes, hydrangeas can bring calm to the mind and relaxation to the body. The research tying time spent in nature to improved mental health is robust.

Take a walk, a stroll, a run or a hike. Have a picnic or a play date. Yes, please take good care. 

(Associations between Nature Exposure and Health: A Review of Evidence, (May, 2021) M. P. Jimenez, et al., Int. J. of Environ Res Public Health; Vol. 18, Issue 9, 4790)

The Unexpected Gift: Appreciating Life's Nice Moments

 

While in midtown on an errand, I had the pleasure of running right smack dab into a 10-foot high 6-foot wide fresh floral display in the middle of the sidewalk on Fifth Avenue. NYC is a wonderous place but this was an atypical sight. I guessed that the display was a remnant of the prior day's Easter Parade. On a busy block full of people, only 4 other individuals had stopped to look. It seemed other folks were buried in their thoughts or phones. Perhaps many were in a rush to their next appointment. 

They missed out on one of life's nice, unexpected moments. And it smelled nice, too.

Here's hoping you'll stop to smell the roses when they pop up in front of your nose....

Spring Ahead

"It is spring again. The earth is like a child that knows poems by heart."

Rainer Maria Rilke (1922)

Sonnets to Orpheus (Part One, XXI)

As always,take good care.

Happy Lunar New Year! May the year of the Dragon bring wisdom, good luck, innovation and honor to all who celebrate!