On accessing our roots
I hope this finds you well. I took a few weeks off this space to immerse myself in my summer holiday, visit friends in Estonia, and reflect on our travels, too. While our week in Tallinn (and a day in Helsinki) was beautiful and sunny, the following two weeks turned into rain and a sudden drop in temperatures. I am now wearing a hat for the afternoon dog walk! Our allotment is still in bloom, but I can already feel the shift towards shorter and colder days. It’s time to harvest the remaining fruit and vegetables, but also pay attention to seed collection. I feel the birds more often because the harvest came early this year, and I worry about their food supplies over the winter months. So our garden is buzzing with robin chat and louder voices of magpies.
I spent some time reflecting on the trip to Estonia. Here, in the UK, amongst my friends, it is a known destination for bike trips because it is very flat. However, Tallinn has so much more to offer. It is a beautiful, clean, innovative and incredibly well-organised city. What I love the most about it is the balance between its proximity to Nature (the Baltic Sea, beautiful lakes, relaxing pine woodlands, calming parks) and seamless integration with progressive technologies (such as self-driving delivery robots, for example). Both layers of systems work together smoothly and provide a grounding setting for the life of the locals.
After a week of walks and explorations, I came home so relaxed! Walking to the nearest bus stop – all in the city centre- was our daily dose of forest bathing. During longer walks, I was able to admire views from my childhood spent in Poland: birch trees, rowan trees, pine trees all together with all layers of the woods – lovely hazel, lily of the valley, berry bushes and mushrooms. So many types of mushrooms that I lost count! What I love about those woods the most is just how far down the light can reach the mossy ground cover of the land. The predominantly sandy soil covered in moss is so soft I was tempted to walk barefoot and remembered my childhood scout camps.
In some places in the city, Nature is wild and all-encompassing, which is a great reminder of our place within its system. Elsewhere, where city architecture takes over, and communities come together, nature is tended into public gardens, parks, and sensory gardens. It is also present as a critical element of the local remembrance—I was so moved by the apple orchard (my childhood memory) surrounding the Victims of Communism Memorial. Apples are supposed to symbolise innocence and nurturing, a stark contrast to the facts shared on the walls of that structure – and a good reminder for me that my parent’s generation lived those times, that narrative, that reality. I remember Communism, and I knew some direct victims of it very closely. However, I am old enough, but I was young when the system fell, so I connected more with the hope of the renewal that came next). During our stay in Tallinn, Russia was bombing Ukraine again, and so the history of then and now was intertwined. Sitting in Nature with good, trusted friends and friends, both our pasts and the present, was ever so grounding.
And finally, there was the Baltic Sea, the most magical experience of my childhood. During my early childhood, I spent all my summers at the seaside collecting amber from the beach, exploring the sand dunes and enjoying the taste of blueberry waffles with cream. Later, I went back as a scout leader, working with younger people who also needed a holiday. A little bit older, I was also attracted to the lakes, woods and the entire ecosystem. The sound of crickets in the evening in Tallinn was such a beautiful reminder of my roots.
One thing that stood out for me during that trip was the notion of access and proximity. Because the sea, the lakes, and the woods are just at the doorstep, it is complicated to ignore Nature’s needs. Because the days are short in winter and the streets are covered in snow, it must be pretty humbling, too. Travelling to Finland over the sea takes only two hours, so even though the sea crossing is relatively easy, it depends on the weather and how the sea feels that day. Our crossing was unbelievably smooth, but I was reminded that it can be very stormy and temperamental, too.
Reflection
I came back with a renewed sense of connection to my roots but also to the heart of all of us: Nature. So today, as a reflective practice, let’s look at more practical tips. I would like to share with you books that are packed with Nature connectedness practices – very accessible, simple practices to remind ourselves what our place in this enormous, complex and beautiful system truly should be.
- Nature Connection: A handbook for therapy and self-exploration
- Earth Color: An Eight Week Course for Nature-Connection
- Soul Color: A Ten Week Watercolor Painting Course to Cultivate Mindfulness and Creativity
- With this, I would also like to offer a simple invitation: next time you travel, can you explore the city/ the country you are in primarily through the lens of Nature? Notice how that feels like in your mind, soul and body and how it impacts your digital wellbeing upon your return.
(I am off to work soon with a calm heart full of warm and sunny memories. I wish you a soft day ahead)
