THANKFUL FOR MOTHER NATURE

Day 351 of 365 days

There is nothing like immersing yourself in nature. Going on a solo hike and the peace that invades you when you’re surrounded by nothing but trees and miles of trail ahead. The adrenaline that pumps through your body when you’re navigating a river in a raft, or the calm the takes over you when you’re staring at the stars on a beautiful night out camping. Those moments stay with you forever.

Thank you mother nature for your vegetation. The forests, woodlands, grasslands, and wetlands create so many necessities for human survival. Your vast environment provides us with oxygen, sustains us with food, and provides medicine to heal our bodies. Your timber provides wood for our shelter and your natural fibres create our clothing.

Thank you for your landforms. The mountains, valleys, canyons, plateaus, and shorelines provide terrain for me to explore on my own two feet. I come as I am, and your support and comfort me. At times, you challenge me in ways I question, but when I find my way to the other side, I feel stronger and appreciative.

Thank you for your seasons. From year to year, from day to day, and from moment to moment you never look the same. This constant change helps me accept that I too am ever-changing. Whether it is due to ageing, the choices I make, or outside factors, change is a part of life. Seeing it with you helps me see it within myself. You are beautiful even on your stormy days, I feel your warmth even in the bitter cold, and your brightest days fill me with the energy to continue through the highs and lows of each of your seasons.

I envision that we will continue to get to know each other on a more intimate level. This is important to me because I want to better understand you and to learn how to help take better care of you. This is important because you are a gift, you are priceless, and you can provide and teach. You are a being that fills me with hope, curiosity, and desire. The more I learn, the more I explore, the better I understand how I can no longer take you for granted. Our repeated violations against your air, soils, forests, rivers, lakes, and biodiversity are unacceptable.