Time in Nature – is – Time Well Spent

A few Thoughts

Happiness – perhaps it is sleeping outside in a tent or on a deck stretched out over the sea underneath a canopy of stars.  Or maybe it is a 9km trail across the endowment lands at UBC, or is it reading and dozing in a hammock beside a still lake in Ontario? Walking barefoot along a beach. How about rowing silently at sunrise or portaging a canoe in Algonquin Park? And then there are the lovely walks on narrow avenues in the city with an abundance of flowering gardens, in all directions. In fact, the fragrances beckon you before you even arrive. And what about a bike trip close to home with good friends! It is all amazing!

Nature Snapshots

These sample snapshots all happened this summer to various people I know and love, including myself. And I can imagine to many of you.

The month of August has re-inspired the beauty, cheerfulness, and satisfaction of moving my body outdoors. I need to give a shout-out to my grandson Rowan for pushing me when I wanted to call an uber at one point on our urban hike. There would have been no shame in taking a ride. However, I am sure those extra steps up a hill, contributed mightily to my excellent nap upon arriving home. This is to say how lucky we are when we have someone along to give us a nudge.

When I consider what “Living Well with Illness” or “Living Fully with Illness” truly means, I want to be clear that it has nothing to do with performing extraordinary feats or becoming an inspirational poster child for cancer, heart disease, diabetes, autoimmune conditions, or any other health challenge. The pressure to be “inspirational” can add an unfair burden to those already navigating significant difficulties.

Instead, living well with illness is about something much quieter and more personal: finding moments of joy, meaningful activity, a sense of well-being and perhaps even curiosity within the reality of daily living, as it is now.

Mindset

It’s about cultivating a mindset that fully acknowledges limitations and doesn’t pretend they don’t exist. Rather a recognition that living well can still happen without being defined by our illnesses. Dr. Itami’s motto is “Even though I am ill I will not live like a sick person.” This approach recognizes that we will need help – both medical and personal support. There’s no shame in that need, yet we choose not to let our illness dominate every waking minute. This is no simple matter, yet it is worth the effort. What may be surprising to discover is that even within these difficult circumstances, the fundamental desire for life—for connection, for small pleasures, for moments of meaning—persists. This desire for life continues until, for some, it eventually doesn’t, and that too is part of the human experience that deserves respect and understanding.

Living well with illness isn’t about heroism or inspiration. It’s about honouring both our struggles and our capacity for finding joyful and meaningful moments within them. Still, let’s acknowledge that everyone’s illness is deeply personal and varied in its challenges and possibilities.

Here is Dr. Art Frank’s quote that I have mentioned many times. It comes from his book, “At the Will of the Body.”

The ill and impaired may, in the sense of fulfilling life, be far more free than healthy people. The healthy require health as an affirmation that their will is still effective and they must continually prove this effectiveness. The ill accept their vulnerability as an affirmation that the world is perfect without any exercise of their will, and this acceptance is their freedom…we are free only when we no longer require health, however much we may prefer it.”

I see the idea of living well with illness as focusing on the health-promoting activities we can do, not for a cure but for the quality of everyday life. And one of those activities is unequivocally spending time in nature. I was lucky enough this month of August to be that person to spend considerable time outdoors and to be lucky enough to have feet and legs that can still carry me around through the trees, and over bridges. I surely don’t take this for granted. May this be true for you, and without hesitation, may you use whatever help you need, to feel the breeze on your cheeks, the sun on your back and to enjoy the shade of our magnificent trees. (I also had many opportunities to experience magnificent views from indoors.)

Notes

1:) An article on Blood Pressure from The Conversation. Read here. I post this because it is such a common problem and can easily go undetected. For those unfamiliar with The Conversation, “it is an independent source of news and views from the academic and research community, delivered directly to the public. The Conversation began in Melbourne, Australia, in March 2011, and was created and founded by Andrew Jaspan with the support of business strategist Jack Rejtman and the University of Melbourne’s Vice-Chancellor, Glyn Davis. The UK edition launched in May 2013, followed by editions in the US (2014), South Africa and France (2015), Canada, Indonesia and New Zealand (2017), Spain (2018), and Brazil (2023). The Conversation is a free resource: free to read (we’ll never go behind a paywall), and free to share or republish under Creative Commons.”

2:) Short Introduction to Shinrin Yoku Forest Bathing in English. (less than two-minute video) and an article from Harvard’s Chan School of  Public Health on Time Spent in Nature. Click Here. 

3:) Thank you for reading my blog, a day late. I should mention that besides the healing properties of nature, there were the healing properties of delicious food enjoyed in the company of family and friends. That was also true this month of August and I must add that our last dinner (son, daughter-in-law, grandson and me) on the rooftop garden at Vij’s in Vancouver was the show stealer. If you get an opportunity, just say YES. Here is a descriptive link for Vij’s in Michelin’s new category of Bib Gourmand: good quality, good value cooking. (sadly, no free meal for this praise) Haha. I am sending all my best wishes. Warmly, Trudy