Sunrises and sunsets. The tides. Seasons, each giving way to the next in an annual cycle. New bloom and growth, followed by a fade that feeds new growth the next year. Nature’s rhythms offer a continuous model of how we can live a well-regulated, well-paced life, connected to what matters, what endures, and to what keeps the door open to adventure, discovery, and joy.

In late summer 2022, I took a multi-day hike through Goat Rocks Wilderness in SE Washington State. I invite you to join me on this video journey. Perhaps you, too, can experience how unburdening nature can be for you, how much more clearly you see what matters most, and how nature, in its humble, unself-conscious way, serves as a guide to finding your way to a life path infused with meaning, adventure, and joy.

So many people shy away from revealing their authentic selves. They hide behind false humility. They allow guilt or shame to obscure their true beauty.

These close-ups of the details of an amaryllis flower, by contrast, shows what it is like to step out of the shadows and into the full light of the uninhibited joy of being fully itself, as can you.

Nature's sights and sounds can be so soothing. Wind moving through the leaves of trees. The morning sunlight flitting through the tree's swaying branches. The fountain's moist spray being carried on the breeze. Nature's music can offer a wonderful respite from the pressures of the day; an opportunity to settle in and settle down; a time to feel refreshed before continuing with what lies ahead. Enjoy!

Far too many of us forget to pace ourselves. We buy into our cultural myth that “time is money,” that anything other than a focus on constant productivity is “wasting time.” The result, accumulated over years and decades of our lives, are a host of stress-mediated illnesses, including sleep disturbances, chronic headaches, depression, high blood pressure, digestive distress, anxiety, and relationship conflicts, let alone a loss of joy in our day-to-day lives.

Is this the year we remember that sometimes, we get there faster and with greater health and joy, by going slow?

The moon, our nightly beacon, has long been associated with the passage of time, because of the steady and predictable sequence of phases it passes through each month. The moon has also symbolized eternity and perpetual renewal, because each complete cycle gives birth each month to a new moon, a cycle that has been unbroken since the dawn of time. As you watch and listen to this brief video, ask yourself: toward what am I transitioning? What am I releasing and to what is my life giving birth? What am I moving beyond and where and through what am I seeking renewal? Any time you find yourself wondering about what phase of life you find yourself in, look skyward in the night sky. Perhaps the moon's ethereal and gentle light can guide you to find a satisfying and inspiring answer.

It is mid-March. Spring’s full bounty remains weeks away. Already, however, preparations for spring are evident. The stream is flowing, cold and quiet, as it collects the snowmelt and carries it away. Still, winter isn’t fully finished. Just this morning, a sleeve of frost was worn by every branch, just after dawn, and lasting only until the day’s warmth caused each sleeve to melt away. The ducks were there to witness this gorgeous morning. They recognized that despite that late winter snow, spring is coming soon.

As you watch this video, consider the transitions you are experiencing. It is rare that change is always forward-looking. Like spring’s arrival, sometimes we go back a step or two before moving forward again. Sometimes, patience is needed, coupled with perseverance and trust, which eventually eases us through the transitions we are seeking.

Winter is here. So is the quiet stillness it brings as much lies blanketed under the snow. Even here, movement can be found. Sit back and discover the stream’s undulating current as it flows on, insistent on reaching its destination come what may.

The 24/7 pace of our world is accelerating all the time. We know that getting swept up in that rushing current leaves our bodies and minds exhausted. Coritsol, a major stress hormone, circulates through our vessels at levels so high that our ability to find comfort and calm is undermined. This two-minute video invites you to settle in and settle down as you take in the stillness and beauty of the slow pace at which a thin blanket of ice forms across a small pond. Perhaps you, too, can find comfort and calm by connecting to this scene of icy stillness.

When worries and fears grow, learn to release them to the current that can wash them away downstream.

Expectations can be self-fulfilling - for good or bad. This practice is a good reminder that you can discover the promise of the positive can emerge when you let go of the expectation of the negative.

When life weighs you down, a gentle breeze can be a great pick-me-up. Tune is. Float along. Let the breeze guide you to a gentler, lighter day. Enjoy...

Sometimes, we just need a clean, fresh start to begin anew. Nature has a simple solution. Enjoy the cleansing effect on your outlook of gentle morning rain.