WOTY June update: Connected to Mother Earth
My, how time flies. It is officially summertime in the Northern Hemisphere, 2022 is very nearly half over, and it’s time to check in on my Word of the Year progress.
As a reminder, my word for 2022 is CONNECTED, as in…
- Connected to this moment
- Connected to my authentic self
- Connected to my amazing body
- Connected to my loved ones
- Connected to all beings and Mother Earth
This month, in honor of my connection with Mother Earth, I’d like to share some of my favorite nature photos from 2022.
Your deepest roots are in nature. No matter who you are, where you live, or what kind of life you lead, you remain irrevocably linked with the rest of creation.”
~Charles Cook
Your turn
- Beach, mountains, desert, forest? Where do you feel your deepest roots in nature?
- What’s one activity that makes you feel more connected to Mother Earth?
- What’s one tip you have for protecting Mother Earth?
- What else is on your mind? Anything at all…I just love to hear from you.
Beach, mountains, desert, forest? I can’t pick just one, I like them all.
Where do you feel your deepest roots in nature? Poking around in our flower garden, dodging bees
What’s one activity that makes you feel more connected to Mother Earth? A walk in a nature preserve
What’s one tip you have for protecting Mother Earth? Drive a vehicle, preferably small, that gets great gas mileage– or is hybrid
I know Ally, I can’t pick just one terrain that I prefer. I do think I feel most connected to nature in the mountains, maybe because I was raised at the foot of the Wasatch Mountains. Choosing our cars carefully and how we drive them is important. Utah is in a drought, so I’ve been focusing a lot on water conservation for the past several years. Even something as easy as turning the water off while you soap your hands or brush your teeth adds up. We are also looking at a bigger project of xeriscaping our yard up here, similar to what we have done down south.
Christie,
Gorgeous pictures. Peonies are my favs! Thanks for sharing. I’ve never been in the desert…that I can remember. I would love to see saguaros live and up close! One of my favorite places was wandering around in a redwood forest in northern California! It’s hard to rule out the ocean, though! Hiking always connects me to Mother Nature. It’s been a while since I’ve been and it’s too hot to go right now! I wish the Amazon forest were more protected. I understand it serves as the lungs of our great planet! Recycling is always a good place to start! Great post and I’m glad you’re truly connected this year! Mona
I love peonies too, Mona! Your comment reminded me of a trip with my father to the Redwood National Forest. I remember being in awe. I’d never seen trees that big. I too wish the Amazon forests were more protected…all of nature really. It’s such a fine balance between allowing as many people as possible to enjoy the earth’s natural wonders and protecting them from those people.
Hi Christie – you’ll have to post some pics when the peonies bloom – they’re such pretty flowers. I’m really missing my morning walks atm – they were the time where I could just be in the moment, enjoy the nature around me – and just ‘be’. It’s also been raining a lot over the last couple of weeks which makes going outside less appealing – once the sun’s shining again I’ll be doing a few short strolls to soak in a little bit of green and gold. x
I agree peonies are so beautiful, Leanne. Most of ours have bloomed and dropped off now. I did get some pics though. I hope you are able to enjoy your morning walks again soon, even in short doses.
Your photos are gorgeous! Beach/water and mountains and forest — and desert briefly. I love nature. I love to take walks, sit in awe, take deep cleansing breaths…all the things to connect to Mother Earth. Not to mention I’m a tree hugger! My most recent effort to protect Mother Earth was to dig up my front lawn and replace it with native & perennial plants with as many pollinators as possible!
Thank you Janet. I haven’t taken as many cloud or mountain photos as I usually do, or I’d have mixed those in as well. I too love being in all types of nature. We are considering similar changes to our yard up north. We have xeriscape in our Southern Utah yard and love it. I hadn’t thought as much about pollinators, but that’s a great idea. I’d like to plant bee- and butterfly-friendly plants.
Love your pictures. I really need to take my phone out once in a while on my walks.
Hubby loves the beach and the water. I like walking by the ocean and puttering in the garden. So our new place works. But I do miss the mountains, hiking, and the changing seasons.
Thank you, Pat. I haven’t taken as many photos recently as I used to either. Normally, I’d have a bunch of cloud and mountain photos I could have mixed in with the flowers and sunsets. I love the ocean too, but I would definitely miss the mountains if we moved away from them. I haven’t been on many hikes lately. The weather has not been favorable for that so far this year. Now that I am retired, though, I am hoping to be able to take advantage of the good hiking days when they pop up.
Hi Christie I love your photos. Peonies are a favourite but I’ve never had success growing them. Connection to nature for me is while bushwalking. It’s my ‘zone out’ time. I do love the beach but we are far away. I agree with you that 2022 is flying by so quickly.
I love peonies too, Jennifer. They grow well in our soil and weather. I’m curious, is bushwalking the same as hiking, or are there nuances to each? I love hiking, but not backpacking so much, which limits me on how long I can stay out. I don’t mind carrying a small bag of treats, bandaids, etc. and of course water. The beach is far from us as well. Maybe that makes it extra special, because we are on holiday whenever we are at the beach.
I love how the change of seasons brings with it awareness of earth and our connection to it. In NZ today they’re celebrating a new public holiday for the first time – Matariki, the Maori New Year. It’s based around the stars and the seasons and the solstice and connection – to earth, family and all.
What a beautiful observations, Jo. I have always loved the change of seasons for the sense of renewal, but I hadn’t specifically thought about how it brings more awareness of the earth. Of course, it does. Now I will be more mindful and appreciation of that. Matariki sounds like a wonderful holiday that all the world should be celebrating. Thanks for sharing these nuggets with us.
Hi Christie thanks so much for joining us at #WOTY link party. Your photos are beautiful and sometimes as the quote says: ‘a picture is worth a thousand words’. I also love your WOTY because like mine, BE, we can live it through many areas of our life. Enjoy the second half of the year and if I remember correctly you recently retired so hopefully you are enjoying your new transition. Take care. x
Hello Sue. Thanks for hosting the link party. It’s a pleasure taking part. I agree the words we each chose this year can be applied to our lives in so many different ways. You are correct, I recently retired, and so far I am loving the freedom and reduction in stress.
Hi, Christie – I love that part of your WOTY focuses on connection with Mother Earth. One activity that I would recommend for connecting more deeply with our environment is “shinrin-yoku” (which translates as ““absorbing the forest atmosphere” or “forest bathing”).
The practice encourages people to live in the present moment (no conversations, cameras or phones) while immersing ones senses in the sights and sounds of a nature.
Hello Donna. I love the idea of shinrin-yoku. This is the first I’ve heard of it. I used to run with ear pods, listening to music. One time when they were not charged, I ran on the trail without them and realized all the amazing nature sounds I was missing. I never went back.
How lovely Christie! Your photos Mother Earth in all her glory :). Connection is a great WOTY and has many ways of being interpreted, which you are covering well! I’ve been away with family up north and have enjoyed beaches, warm sunshine, family time and lovely long bike rides with my husband. Heading home soon sadly but it’s been a great getaway for us. Thanks for joining our link-up, I love reading your updates.
Thank you Debbie. Your time with family sounds lovely. I’m so glad you got the opportunity to enjoy loved ones and the beach. Thanks for hosting the link party!
This was such a visual joy Christie and yes to all of our connections take us to nature. I am loving (and appreciating even more) the easy access I have to the ocean and the river and all lovely natural spots. When we move in early 2023 I will miss this very much but am swapping for more human connections of meaning! Meanwhile taking a lot of photos and videos to remember.
Denyse.
Thank you for your kind words, Denyse. I love being able to provide visual joy with you. You always share such lovely photos on social media. I am happy that you have this opportunity to really appreciate the blessings of nature where you currently live while anticipating being closer to your loved ones soon. I’m wishing you all the best in your upcoming adventure.
Beach for me, or maybe just coastal, as I don’t call the shingle beaches we have in the UK proper beaches. My preference is to be by water, so a river or lake will do nicely in the absence of coastal water. The others on your list, I consider amazing places to visit, but the first is my happy place.
The one activity when I feel most connected to Mother Earth is walking barefoot.
My other half, despite having a petrol head past, is remarkably focussed on energy conservation. He reminds me to develop better habits by talking about penguins and polar bears. It seems to work 🙂 I’ve always driven a small car, and would like to go electric or hybrid as soon as I can afford one, but new options are totally out of my price range, and the secondhand ones aren’t quite there yet either.
I do love being by water, Debs, be that a stream, river, or the ocean. The mountains feel more like home to me, but a trip to the ocean is my favorite vacation. I love the idea of talking about the endangered wildlife as a way of reminding ourselves of the immediate victims of our actions. I like the idea of electric or hybrid vehicles, but I do hope some consideration is being made for the recycling or disposal of all those rechargeable batteries. I need to do more research before I make future car choices. I’m not in the market right now. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I hope you get out and enjoy nature today!
Thanks for the reminder Christie. I didn’t get out yesterday and it did have a negative impact on my mood & energy levels. A combination of being busy, busy, busy and Himself coming home from work early – but a timely reminder that I need that walk outside for my wellbeing!
I’m happy I could provide that little nudge you needed. Enjoy!