A Natural Curiosity
A few days ago I hopped into the Pacific Ocean with a few friends. I was hoping to find just one nudibranch to add to my photo collection. Instead, I realized almost immediately that the sea floor was absolutely littered with nudibranchs. The joy was palpable, and the air alive with shouts each time we found a particularly large or unique specimen. We dove about trying to “collect” as many as we could for nearly an hour. Midway through I paused to observe this scene and thought with a laugh that our enthusiasm mirrored that of children hunting for eggs on Easter morning.
Spotted leopard nudibranch
This wasn’t the first time that I had realized the power that nature holds to elicit childlike wonder in fully grown adults. Over the years I have been on numerous wildlife tours and on each occasion it has brought me immense satisfaction to witness accountants, lawyers, doctors and the like squealing with joy at the sight of a creature they had perviously only imagined locking eyes with. The transformative power of the natural world isn’t limited to interaction with its creatures either, simply spending an hour amongst the trees or even wandering about by the sea seems to breathe life back into many individuals.
Why is it that these small interactions with the natural world have the power to simultaneously provoke curiosity and also heal something deep within? Does nature really hold the power to transform us to the most innately curious version of ourselves? Science seems to suggest so. Spending time in nature has been shown to improve medical recovery, enhance pain management practices, modify mood, enhance quality of life for PTSD sufferers, decrease agitation in dementia patients, curb obesity rates, and reduce global stress. It also holds the power to enhance creativity, self esteem and overall life satisfaction ratings.
Spotted Rose Anenome
There is a quote referenced in the wonderful show Ted Lasso that goes a little something like this
“Be Curios Not Judgemental.”
It is so easy to go through everyday life with a mindset of judgement, but it is difficult to maintain this stance when encountering the natural world. Nature eludes the stain of judgement instead encouraging fascination, curiosity and wonder. Free from the shackles of a judgemental mindset we are not only able to engage with the world in a more authentic way but, as research shows, we are also more easily able to access a realm of peace, creativity and overall satisfaction. If we could carry this mindset over to our everyday lives and recognize that we do not exist apart from the natural world but rather as a part of it, would we be happier? I would love to find out!
A Clown Nudi
Yours in words and photos,
Jamie
Sources: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6085576/