I am loving the insights from participating in the Vitamin N Challenge by the Children and Nature Network. It is going on for July and August, 2022 and you get to pledge what you will do. My pledge is to get outside for 30 minutes of mindful walking for 26 days in July. For more details on the Vitamin N challenge visit: https://www.childrenandnature.org/resources/vitaminn/
Day 3 Focus
Today on my walk, I chose to focus on the words Curiosity and Calm in my walk. There was no shortage of either of these.
Curiosity with Mushrooms
Walking along these Fantastical Fungi caught my eye. There is an incredible documentary available on Netflix by Louie Schwarztberg. It features many experts including Paul Stamets and is called Fantastic Fungi. Well worth the watch.
Curiosity with Humans!
I came across a white sign and was curious as to what “pests” they were spraying for. Next I saw the yellow sign saying that they had sprayed for broad leafed weeds in the area. I realized they had sprayed for dandelions and I shook my head. Who are we as humans to classify dandelions as “pests”?! Dandelions have some cancer fighting properties. They show us that the soil is lacking calcium. But we go and spray them with chemicals which have been proven to have some cancer causing side effects. We truly have to rethink what we call “pests” and “weeds”.
The area that had been sprayed for the “pest” had not only wiped out the dandelions. It had also wiped out the beautiful clover. Clover is an incredible source of pollen for the bees. It made me wonder, if bees had the ability to spray us with chemical, would they? Something for us humans to ponder!
Calm
I decided to head down to the coulee (ravine) and took in the calm and serene creek. There is something so soothing to me to hear the gentle flow of water. In fact, the 3 most soothing sounds to the human ear are wind, water and birdsong. I am blessed to have all of these within walking distance from my home.
Curiosity with Wildflowers
I love being able to identify different wildflowers. When I get stumped, I use a great app called PlantNet
When I saw the bee on the Wild Rose, which is the provincial flower for Alberta, I wondered if it instinctively knew to stay away from the area where the clover and the dandelion had been sprayed. We have a lot of rethinking to do on how we can live more in harmony with nature.
Day 3 of this Vitamin N Challenge brought in many insights for me. I hope that you are getting your dose of Vitamin N! It is good for you….and the planet.