Sigurd Olson wrote “if we successfully face our crises, it will be because enough of us rediscovered the joys of a life lived in full awareness of our interconnectedness with all creation.” This awareness comes from what Olson calls listening “with inward ears.” And,”that requires periods of silence and solitude in close contact with nature.”
Olson believed that without close contact with nature we can’t fully understand ourselves or the world we inhabit. This was at the heart of his writing and conservation career. Have you had close contact with nature lately?
This week I spent 1-2 hours a day walking on the snowy, windy trails of the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. I started each day by bundling up and stepping out into the cold. The landscape was hushed with quiet from the new snow. I’d been longing for the crisp, snowy landscape. My Minnesota roots were calling me to walk in snow.
Walking in snow creates the perfect opportunity to really listen with inward ears.The crunch of your boots on the trail heightens your awareness of each noise. I could feel my “listening inward ears” become more tuned to nature as I walked the snowy covered prairies and forests.
As I reflected on this feeling of interconnectedness with the land, it dawned on me that I enjoy this same type of listening with people. I savor the opportunity to listen deeply, to connect and weave our stories together. As a friend, family member, facilitator and coach I work to tune my inward ear. Listening to nature helps me listen to people better.
I wonder how our Thanksgiving gatherings this week might be different if we all try to listen with inward ears. What will be different if we listen for connection? Olson believed that when we listen this way in nature we create hope. Can we create hope if we listen this way to each other?
So maybe take a walk in nature before your Thanksgiving meal. Tune up your listening inward ears. Then, find your way back to your gathering with friends and family. Perhaps, with a newly tuned ear you will find interconnectedness and hope.
Happy Thanksgiving and Happy Listening.
