I was talking to my stepson the other day, who got a corgi puppy back in November. It’s the first dog he has gotten as an adult, the first dog he picked out and is wholly responsible for.
He mentioned how before Prismo he would leave his house to go to his car. Now, he has to take Prismo out first thing in the morning. He commented on how incredible the birds sound. We forget the power of nature, he said. There are studies that show just listening to birds or nature (without our cell phones) for even a few minutes can do wonders for our health.
Then on Sunday, a note from Tish Harrison Warren (a favorite author of mine) in the NYTimes about the need to stop and pay attention to the natural world.
“The greatest threat to faith today is not hedonism but distraction.” —Andrew Sullivan.
We are never without our phones and we are never without distraction. How often do we simply sit outside? Not chatting with a friend on the phone or scrolling or playing a game, but just sitting?
We miss so much because we never look up. We have lost our sense of wonder and our ability to see.
Warren says in her essay, “(The Resurrection) tells us that the Christian faith is as interested in mountains as it is morality; that it asks for attention not just to dogma but to dogwoods, that it is occupied not only with our souls but with our five senses.”
When was the last time we simply stood still outside? Go to a city park and just observe. Leave your cell phone inside and just go sit outside. Notice nature as you walk the dog. We miss it. And in doing so we miss a vital part of who we are.
There is a massive tree in front of the Officers’ Club at Hickam AFB. At certain times of day, it is filled to the brim with birds. The sound is almost overwhelming as the birds convene nightly to seemingly discuss their days, trade tips on where to get food, and share funny things they saw humans do. To be anywhere close to it puts you into this cacophony of chatter.
But would you find it a discordant screech or an invitation to stop and listen?
It’s spring. In Colorado, the first shoots of tulips are just starting to poke their heads up. There are dandelions and purple flowers. Blooms are starting to appear on trees. Color is returning.
But if we walk around with our heads in our phones, or only leave the house to go to the car to drive to work to return again, we miss all of it.
The greatest threat to life today is distraction. We are not made to live our lives via screens but via our five senses. We are meant to see, hear, taste, touch, and smell the world around us. We are made for interaction not numbing. We are made to engage with and enjoy the material world around us, not stare at it on social media.
Put your cell phone down. Keep it in your purse. Leave it at the house. Stop and see the world around you. Sit on your porch and let nature tell you its story.
I love spring because with it comes the promise that life begins again. Dormant trees bloom. Flowers return. Critters and birds rush around with fervor and intensity. My stepdaughter is starting seedlings to go into the ground later. We are cultivating geraniums and pansies in our bedroom window. The days are getting longer (and warmer!). Winter is behind us.
What do you love most about this season? What do you notice happening around you that you might have missed before?