Hi, everyone! Welcome back to Wellness Wednesday.

This Week’s Thoughts

The idea of “wellness” can be very broad, perhaps even a tad overwhelming when we try to define what it is exactly. To me, wellness is merely a balance between the physical, spiritual, and intellectual sides of self. When these are all in tune with one another, wellness is achieved.

What I like about this quote by Mary Ann Brussat is that it reminds me that wellness is an ongoing process. What works today may not work tomorrow. Just like there are seasons, tides, death, and rebirth in nature, there are similar ebbs and flows within ourselves. In fact, despite our cities, our technologies, and our automobiles, mankind came from nature. As much as we try to distance ourselves from it, we are still part of it. Our bodies and minds are ruled by the laws of nature.

This quote points out that when we are ready to see it, maybe only when we need to see it, we can find ourselves in the goings-on of nature. The metaphors and comparisons are endless. Thousands have been used in literature. One of the most popular is the idea that a human’s life mimics that of the seasons. We are born. Everything is new and vigorous and exciting, green like the spring. We grow and mature and move through different stages of maturity, through the summer and the autumn. And then eventually we grow old and must end, just as winter brings the world to a cold standstill.

I think there’s usually an underlying reason for those times when we feel out of tune with ourselves, when something feels off and it affects our whole well-being. This quote helps to bring my mind back to the idea that I can look around me and pick out patterns, cycles of growth, moments of transformation from my surroundings and then apply my findings to my own inner wellness.

This Week’s Challenge

Take a walk somewhere in nature. If you want to go big, visit a nearby state park. If you need to keep it simple, visit a local park. While you’re out, take note of your surroundings. How do you see yourself in the trees, in the creeks or streams, in the spider web between two high branches? Share pictures of your walk and your thoughts using #wellnessMB. We’d love to feature you!

Artwork: “The Lorelei” by Childe Hassam