{"id":949,"date":"2024-09-23T17:17:32","date_gmt":"2024-09-23T17:17:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/monicajwilliams.com\/?p=949"},"modified":"2024-09-23T20:29:17","modified_gmt":"2024-09-23T20:29:17","slug":"what-does-the-natural-world-provide-for-me","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/monicajwilliams.com\/index.php\/2024\/09\/23\/what-does-the-natural-world-provide-for-me\/","title":{"rendered":"What does the natural world provide for me?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Now that it’s officially Fall, I’m drawn once again to the reds and oranges of leaves preparing to let go of their trees<\/a>. I can’t just watch from behind closed windows; my body yearns to be immersed in the crisp colors of Fall. This morning, as part of Grateful Living<\/a>‘s pathway toward building a life of belonging, I received an email invitation<\/a> to explore my relationship with the natural world. The invitation prompted me to list five ways that the natural world has provided for me. I know that my body craves the outdoors, but what exactly does the natural world provide for me?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As I considered the question, I reflected on my adventures over the past few weeks. I’ve been camping twice, once near Yellowstone and another time closer to home. In the past week, I’ve found myself on the trail three times: first to the waterfall <\/a>at North Fork Park, then to Strong’s Canyon<\/a> in Ogden, and, yesterday, to Coldwater Canyon<\/a> in North Ogden. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This morning, after reading the email from Grateful Living, I breathed these experiences into my body. When I picked up my journal, this flowed from my pen:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When I’m in nature, I laugh. At the Artists’ Paintpots<\/a> in Yellowstone, the earth flings up globs of murky gray mud that plink and plunk their way back into their soupy pot. I can’t watch the display without giggles that bloom into full-bodied laughter. When I stop to pay attention, the natural world fills me with joy.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When I am in nature, I’m constantly in awe. Red-orange leaves pop against dark chocolate branches, backgrounded by vibrant blue sky. A spider’s web, a glistening, multi-spoked orb suspended between two trees. Viewed from the rock upon which I sat, the web fluttered in a breeze I hadn’t yet noticed. Picking my way up the creek, I found the web nearly invisible when viewed head-on. I smiled. A sliver of nature reminding me to rest in the beauty of things just as they are.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When I awake, window open to the cool morning air, the birds chirp me into consciousness. Nature calling me to presence with its very being.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When I awake in my tent in the middle of the night, stars, galaxies, and planets shimmer like dust across the space gray black blue sky. Universal dandruff. The star dust in me calls to the star dust in you, and I am home.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nature–the night sky, a vast canyon, an orange-leafed tree tunnel–reminds me of my insignificance. None of the daily clatter of being a human in this world matters. When I look up from my laptop, when I put down my phone, I hear birds calling and squirrels chattering. I go to the window and stare into the endless blue sky. I open the door, stepping chilled feet onto warm concrete. A box elder bug flits across my path. Wind rustles the tops of the pine trees. I greet a snail as kindred spirit. Life happens, whether I notice it or not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    <\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    When I step outside, worries fall from my branches. Relieved of my burdens, the mud, the spider’s web, the birds, and the stars call me to life. I root into Earth, pulling nourishment into my soul. I am tall. I am strong. I am breath. I am laughter. I am here, exactly where I’m supposed to be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    <\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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    Now that it’s officially Fall, I’m drawn once again to the reds and oranges of leaves preparing to let go of their trees. I can’t just watch from behind closed windows; my body yearns to…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":950,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[81,83,40,82,84],"class_list":["post-949","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-essay","tag-fall","tag-natural","tag-nature","tag-seasons","tag-soul"],"yoast_head":"\nWhat does the natural world provide for me? - Monica J. 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I can’t just watch from behind closed windows; my body yearns to...","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":291,"url":"https:\/\/monicajwilliams.com\/index.php\/2020\/11\/21\/all-i-really-need-to-know-about-writing-i-learned\/","url_meta":{"origin":949,"position":0},"title":"All I really need to know about writing I learned from riding","author":"Monica Williams","date":"November 21, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"It\u2019s no secret that I LOVE snowboarding. I ride about 20-30 times per year, and when I\u2019m off the hill, I\u2019m thinking about when I can get back on the hill.\u00a0 I\u2019ve also been a writer for my entire life. I have notebooks full of stories and journal entries. I\u2019ve\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Writing craft"","block_context":{"text":"Writing craft","link":"https:\/\/monicajwilliams.com\/index.php\/category\/writing-craft\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":800,"url":"https:\/\/monicajwilliams.com\/index.php\/2023\/09\/18\/winter-spring-summer-release\/","url_meta":{"origin":949,"position":1},"title":"Winter, Spring, Summer…Release","author":"Monica Williams","date":"September 18, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Fall is coming! Yesterday, I hiked from Snowbasin to the Ogden Canyon overlook. About a mile in, a breeze rustled the tops of the Aspen trees. Stopping to listen to the clap of the tiny green leaves, I looked up to see a golden yellow leaf floating toward me. I\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Essay"","block_context":{"text":"Essay","link":"https:\/\/monicajwilliams.com\/index.php\/category\/essay\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/monicajwilliams.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/IMG_20230918_131550591-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/monicajwilliams.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/IMG_20230918_131550591-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/monicajwilliams.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/IMG_20230918_131550591-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/monicajwilliams.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/IMG_20230918_131550591-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/monicajwilliams.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/IMG_20230918_131550591-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":739,"url":"https:\/\/monicajwilliams.com\/index.php\/2023\/05\/15\/glimpses-of-self-in-granite-and-bronze\/","url_meta":{"origin":949,"position":2},"title":"Glimpses of Self in Granite and Bronze","author":"Monica Williams","date":"May 15, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"On May 3, 2023, I visited Vigelandsparken in Oslo, Norway with my moms and grandmother. 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Every essay has its hard moments, but the one I'm writing now has me particularly stuck. Rather than give up, I'm learning to trust the stickiness as part of the process of becoming a better writer. Only when the fast,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Memoir"","block_context":{"text":"Memoir","link":"https:\/\/monicajwilliams.com\/index.php\/category\/memoir\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Simmering pot is metaphor for learning to trust the writing process","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/monicajwilliams.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/pot-on-stove.jpeg?fit=960%2C720&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/monicajwilliams.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/pot-on-stove.jpeg?fit=960%2C720&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/monicajwilliams.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/pot-on-stove.jpeg?fit=960%2C720&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/monicajwilliams.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/pot-on-stove.jpeg?fit=960%2C720&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":751,"url":"https:\/\/monicajwilliams.com\/index.php\/2023\/08\/05\/waiting-for-rain-a-story-of-dis-membering-and-re-membering\/","url_meta":{"origin":949,"position":4},"title":"Waiting for Rain: A Poem of Dis-membering and Re-membering","author":"Monica Williams","date":"August 5, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Waiting for Rain Little ballerina girlForgetting her bodyFlyingBendingSwaying A magnificent tree A ray of light Grace Beauty Beautiful soul Taken away by the music Leotard, tights, and ballet shoes Flying Swaying Rippling Wonderfully lost MusicMovementSilence Everyone stops Ballerina girl comes back to the room In a line with her peers\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Experimental"","block_context":{"text":"Experimental","link":"https:\/\/monicajwilliams.com\/index.php\/category\/experimental\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/monicajwilliams.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Duck-dancer-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C721&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/monicajwilliams.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Duck-dancer-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C721&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/monicajwilliams.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Duck-dancer-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C721&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/monicajwilliams.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Duck-dancer-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C721&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/monicajwilliams.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Duck-dancer-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C721&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":657,"url":"https:\/\/monicajwilliams.com\/index.php\/2023\/04\/23\/birthday-letter-2007-i-wanted-us-to-be-parents\/","url_meta":{"origin":949,"position":5},"title":"Birthday Letter, 2007: I wanted us to be parents","author":"Monica Williams","date":"April 23, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"On a second reading, I found, tucked near the end of the first handwritten page, two lines that prickled with the static of a new dilemma. Sixteen years ago, this new problem threatened to end our five-and-a-half-year marriage, but I'd written only those two lines.","rel":"","context":"In "Essay"","block_context":{"text":"Essay","link":"https:\/\/monicajwilliams.com\/index.php\/category\/essay\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/monicajwilliams.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Kenai-fjords-boat.jpeg?fit=640%2C480&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/monicajwilliams.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Kenai-fjords-boat.jpeg?fit=640%2C480&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/monicajwilliams.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Kenai-fjords-boat.jpeg?fit=640%2C480&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/monicajwilliams.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/949","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/monicajwilliams.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/monicajwilliams.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/monicajwilliams.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/monicajwilliams.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=949"}],"version-history":[{"count":40,"href":"https:\/\/monicajwilliams.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/949\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1074,"href":"https:\/\/monicajwilliams.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/949\/revisions\/1074"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/monicajwilliams.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/950"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/monicajwilliams.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=949"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/monicajwilliams.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=949"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/monicajwilliams.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=949"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}