Stepping into nature as an adult
Reena Morjaria reflects on the development of her relationship with nature as an adult
I would say I’m perhaps a nature loving hippy who has felt trapped within an indoors, slightly apprehensive to venture outdoors and slightly more glued to a screen than she would like to admit kind of girl for a lot of my life. Walls have felt safe, and in England, dry! They have provided familiarity, routine, predictability. I have always had a love for the outdoors but for various reasons, some still to be discovered; it has felt difficult to align my actions with my longings.
Having created some more time for myself to do the things I love this past year, I have found myself spending much more time in nature. Being outdoors changes everything. From stepping out the front door and seeing the patterns in the sky, the shapes in the clouds, the hues of color – it feels like stepping into new opportunities and most certainly a new perspective. Being in nature has brought about better self-care and coping strategies, improved physical, mental and emotional wellbeing and also created situations in which I have met some great new people.
I found myself running my 1st ever 10k in May of this year and loved every moment I spent in training leading up to this. Being able to put on my running shoes and head into a local park has given me a new to purpose and reason to be outdoors and explore my surrounding areas, which has also given me a greater sense of belonging in the local community. During my runs and walks outdoors, I have found joy in seeing others spend time in nature and going about their daily business with children, dogs, bird-watching, cycling, running, picnicking and reading. Although I may never see or speak to some of these people again, in those moments there has often been a shared connection, which feels quite validating. Much of what I have observed in others has also served to inspire me with a greater vision of how I would like to spend more of my time and has certainly stirred a desire to further explore and enjoy outdoor activities.
During the last year I have enjoyed learning lots of new skills in the great outdoors. In addition to the nature connectors course I have planted daffodil bulbs in my back garden and had immense joy in seeing them bloom for the 1st time in spring. Seeing nature grow and change over the seasons and being more attuned to the natural rhythm of creation has been quite exhilarating. Another new outdoors venture has been scuba diving off a small island in Mexico and seeing sea creatures I had no idea existed, being able to breathe underwater and again appreciating a whole new world. Walking in the Andalucía mountains in Spain and having my eyes opened to an array of different flowers, plants and wildlife has again been simply glorious.
From spending more time than ever before outdoors I have also developed a greater desire to learn about how I can best care for my surroundings. An interest in being environmentally aware and conscious is growing and I am really looking forward to being further immersed, growing in confidence in open spaces and learning how to nurture nature.
Reena Morjaria is a Youth Worker, currently training with Wild in the City as a Nature Guide.