As we approach the end of the year, I start to get excited! I love all the celebration around Christmas and the valuable time I get to spend with my family. I also love all the possibilities that come with starting a new year afresh. I wonder what exciting things will happen….
As I start my own planning for all the things I would like to complete before the end of this year, I begin to feel overwhelmed. There is so much to do and so little time. To reduce the anxiousness I feel, I turn to my trusty friend and teacher - nature - for some guidance on how I could approach the situation better.
This is what I learn about how differently nature and humans approach endings and beginnings:
Nature doesn’t place pressure on itself to achieve trivial tasks by trivial due dates. That is a human trait. It causes unnecessary stress. Nature does the best it can in any situation, given the circumstances, to set itself up for success. Whatever outcome is achieved, is the way it is meant to be. No questions asked.
If you think of a bear that needs to stock up on food before it goes into hibernation, it doesn’t drive itself crazy, worrying about whether it will get enough food in time. It doesn’t run around frantically overstocking just in case there are any unforeseen challenges between then and winter. It simply wanders around, taking food where it can, doing its best to be prepared for the cold weather that will ensue.
Another difference I noted between people and the wilderness when it comes to endings and beginnings is that nature doesn’t wait for certain dates on a calendar to celebrate. Creatures in the wild live in the moment. When times are good, they make the most of it. They are opportunists.
In northern Australia, rainbow lorikeets (a type of parrot) are renowned for celebrating when they come across particular fermenting fruits. It actually makes them drunk and they celebrate like there is no tomorrow. They become more sociable, loud and uncoordinated – just like people. The phenomenon is actually referred to as ‘drunken parrot season’ by locals. They certainly know how to make the most of the good times!
A further key difference in the way humans and nature approach endings and beginnings is how much time is spent on reflection. People can spend an inordinate amount of time thinking about the past and evaluating what did and didn’t go to plan. Species in nature may momentarily reflect on past occurrences, but then they come back to the present. They accept whatever has happened and move on, making the most of what is in front of them.
Although reflection itself is quite a good exercise in terms of personal development and being able to be gracious for what was received, we can often take it too far – wishing that things had been different. Now, everyone knows that the past cannot be undone, so why do we get caught up obsessing about things we can’t change?
Reflecting too much robs us of the beauty of the present moment. Spending too much time in either the past or future robs us of our lives. So, reflect but do not dwell. Accept the past and live your life. Life is beautiful!
Will you be incorporating some of nature’s wisdom into your life this holiday season? Either way, I hope that you enjoy it. It has been a pleasure sharing some of the lessons I have learnt from the great outdoors with you this year!