Photo of Humpback from Vancouver Island Whale Watch

Gabriola, a small island in between Vancouver and Vancouver Island was my home for 15 years. It is known for its gorgeous sunsets, blackberry bushes, artisans, and orcas swimming by the north end of the Island.

Today, I arrived on the Island and during a pre dinner walk along the magic mile*, the most extraordinary event transpired before my very eyes. It was sunset and as I gazed in wonder, the water broke and a black, sleek, giant of the sea emerged. Nothing less than a humpback whale. I have seen dozens of orcas that leave me breathless every single time, but, never in my 45 years of living and visiting on the westcoast have I spotted a humpback.

To see these magnificent creatures in their natural habitat at sunset with the coastal mountains as backdrop is nothing less than spectacular.

Research from a brain scientist:

What intrigues although doesn’t surprise me is the research coming forward from Dr. Murali Doraiswamy, a physician and brain scientist at Duke University. She emphasizes  the importance of taking these walks in nature. “Hands down, the best place to reset your brain is in nature. When you take a walk in nature, you’re combining the trance-like state that walking puts you in, with the sense of tranquility nature provides. This contemplative time activates the brain’s default mode network. This is the part of the brain that allows you to unlock solutions to deep problems, and inspires a sense of collective well-being in people. You just need to give it free time to do its job.”

We are busy people, and often worn out by illness and care giving. I will now make a wild proposition for us all, including me. For our good health we need to take ourselves outdoors for one hour every single day.  One hour out of 24.

According to research at the U of Minnesota We can expect these benefits from a daily dose of nature:

Nature heals: it contributes to your physical well-being, reduces blood pressure, heart rate, muscle tension and the production of stress hormones.

Nature soothes: it helps us cope with pain as we become absorbed in the trees, plants, water and other elements. We are genetically programmed to respond to nature and we can be distracted from our discomfort.

Nature restores: Our general well-being is impacted by nature, including meaningfulness and vitality.

A walk in a park, a forest, by a river or an ocean. Moodle along to savour what you notice. Slow down for 1/24 hours each day. Refresh yourself with the beauty of nature.

Some people are not in a position to walk an hour but it might be possible to drive to a bench by a river or in a park where you can walk for a little bit, followed by sitting quietly on that bench listening, looking, and smelling the crisp air. Savouring your life and the beauty around you.

I wonder what tomorrow’s walk will reveal? This week may be just the start of a new daily habit and one not confined to an hour on the weekend. I hope it becomes one for you too.

Notes

Note 1:) * The magic mile is otherwise known as Berry Point Road, a seaside road on the north end of Gabriola Island, overlooking Georgia Strait and the mainland of BC and the stunning coastal mountains.

Note 2:) I wonder why it is so hard for many people to take one hour a day. I know we are busy and there are a myriad of reasons including illness. Consequently, I am interested in an experiment where we make that daily hour sacrosanct and observe what happens.

Note 3:) I was unable to get my own photo, of the whale, with my trusty iphone tonight. Not enough light and a little too far out. Sadly I didn’t bring my camera this trip. Thank you dear readers for continuing to show up here. I am deeply honoured to have your company once a week. Warm regards, Trudy

When I was going through my cancer treatment, I kept a blog called Joyful Wrecks.  I decided on the name to illustrate my experience that although I would be looking for joyful moments, and working to create them, I recognized that there would also be moments when I felt shipwrecked.

At that time my granddaughter, Sophie, was two years old, she had a book that we both loved called Grumpy Bird. (by Jeremy Tankard) The book began like this:

When Bird woke up, he was grumpy
He was too grumpy to eat.
He was too grumpy to play.
In fact he was too grumpy to fly.
“Looks like I’m walking today,” said Bird.

One morning when I was feeling down, I remembered the book and on a day when my spouse asked me how things were going. I answered,

“Looks like I’m walking today”

What I loved about the metaphor, however, was that I could still walk (do something) just like Bird.

Part of being a joyful wreck was that there were, and still are, times when we all feel wrecked. I remember a time when my right arm was painful because of my “wrecked’ veins from multiple attempts to insert an IV. In fact, one of the chemo nurse’s looked at my veins and said, “I see we are doing what we do best around here, ruining veins.” And we both laughed.

It’s not always easy to co-exist with discomfort and still perceive that today is a precious gift, especially since we are conditioned to retreat from what we don’t like or fear. Yet it makes all the difference to the quality of our everyday life. Right now. In this minute.

There were times my arm hurt; I felt nauseated and I wished I felt differently. I wished I didn’t have cancer. Yet, I still woke up. How good was that! I got up on two wobbly legs. I sat down with my spouse and had a bowl of cereal with a sliced banana. The birch tree outside the dining room window was wearing a beautiful leafy green dress and the birds were singing. The air smelled sweet and had a quality of spring exuberance that was almost palpable. In that very moment life was perfect.

Dr. Morita told his patients, “When climbing a mountain you can give up a hundred times a day, but keep your feet pointed up hill.”

Living well with illness is not about consistently feeling great and simply overlooking the difficulties. It is about not falling in a hole, staying there and allowing your illness to define your life. It means not putting our lives on hold or wrapping ourselves in the cloak of victim mentality. That mentality says: “life is hopeless and I can do nothing.”

Living well with illness is about taking action, small steps, even when not in the mood. We keep our feet moving and pointed uphill.

In the midst of our illness, we’re finding funny stories, learning, resting, moving, creating, helping, questioning, weeping, smiling, loving, caring, showing up, saying yes, saying no, getting another opinion, getting things done, enjoying, appreciating, taking a nap, and finding meaning and purpose while we can. Come to think of it, this sounds like what everyone is doing, including those who don’t have a serious illness.

Why not live with outstretched arms? What do we have to lose? We’re all terminal — we are all going to die one day.

Why not use these living breathing moments to say YES to life! Discover your talents and cultivate them; remember your dreams and act on them; use your gifts to cheer one another on. We never know our impact on the lives of others. We do know that when we live fully, we are more alive.

NOTES:

Note 1:) This is a favourite article of mine because it reminds me to never give up.

Note 2:) So often, I have learned, when I have a tough day, a call comes. Or maybe it’s an email or a word from a stranger or loved one that suddenly turns things around. I am so grateful for those moments and I hope that I can be that person for someone else.

Note 3:) Ottawa is breathtakingly magnificent with all the shades of reds, oranges and yellow. I find myself staring in wonder, not wanting to miss the day to day changes all around me now. Thank you all, dear readers, for brightening my life, from near and far. I feel so fortunate to scribble away on my computer and through the miracle of the internet these posts arrive in your inbox and then so many of you read them. Thank you. See you next week, Trudy