Years ago, Renaissance poets and philosophers encouraged people to meditate on nature, discovering vital symbols and lessons for our lives. As Shakespeare wrote in As You Like It, we can find “books in the running brooks, sermons in stones, and good in everything.” [6] These days, I’m discovering lessons in my garden.
When I pull weeds, I realize the need to simplify my life. I also find unexpected inspiration. The lone California poppy growing through a crack in our driveway shines as a symbol of perseverance and hope.
In this season of spring, I invite you to find more ways to appreciate nature, to bring the light of greater hope and possibility into your life.
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1. Baker, D. & Stauth, C. (2003). What Happy People Know. Kutztown, PA: Rodale Press. Discussion and quote on page 81.
2. Peterson, C. & Seligman, M. E. P. (2004). Character Strengths and Virtues. New York, NY: Oxford University Press. Discussion on pages 537-538;Adler, M. G., & Fagley, N.S. (2005). Appreciation: Individual differences in finding value and meaning as a unique predictor of subjective well-being. Journal of Personality, 73 (1), 79-113; Childre, D. & Martin, H. with Beech, D. (1999). The HeartMath Solution. New York, NY: HarperCollins; Diessner, R., Solom, R. C., Frost, N. K., & Parsons, L. (2008). Engagement with beauty: Appreciating natural, artistic, and moral beauty. Journal of Personality, 142 (3), 303-329; Stellar, J. E., John-Henderson, N., Anderson, C.L., Gordon, A. M., McNeill, G. D., & Keltner, D. (2015). Positive affect and markers of inflammation: Discrete positive emotions predict lower levels of inflammatory cytokines. Emotion, 15 (2), 129.
3. Park, B.J., Tsunetsugu, Y., Kasetani, T., Kagawa, T., & Miyazaki, Y. (2010). The physiological effects of shinrin-yoku (taking in the forest atmosphere or forest bathing): Evidence from field experiments in 24 forests across Japan. Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine, 15, 18-26. Ulrich, R. S.,Simons,R. F., Losito, B. D., Fiorito, E., Miles, M.A., 7 Zelson, M. (1991). Stress recovery during exposure to natural and urban environments. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 11, 2-10-230.
4. Ulrich, R. S. et al. (1984). View through a window may influence recovery from surgery. Science, 224, 420-421.
5. Adler, M. G., & Fagley, N.S. (2005). Appreciation: Individual differences in finding value and meaning as a unique predictor of subjective well-being. Journal of Personality, 73 (1), 79-113; Fagley, N.S. (2016). The Construct of Appreciation. In D. Carr (Ed.). Perspectives on Gratitude: An Interdisciplinary Approach, pp 70-84. Oxford UK: Routledge; Keltner, D. (2023). Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life. New York, NY: Penguin Press.
6. See Dreher, D. (Inner Gardening: Four Seasons of Cultivating the Soil and Spirit. New York: HarperCollins, 2001; Shakespeare, W. (1997). As You Like It, Act 2, Scene 1, lines 16-17. In S. Greenblatt (Ed.). The Norton Shakespeare. New York, NY: W. W. Norton & Company. Originally written c. 1599, published in 1623.
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