Life Inspired by Nature

“To love nature is to love yourself as you are.”  ~ Maria Lehtman

“Excuse me – This Is My Stop”

A Finnish author, Jari Tervo, mentioned recently that Finnish folks have been preparing for this moment throughout our history. (Yes, he has sarcastic humor – it runs in our national blood) Meaning: to be at peace and within a good distance from other people. If you are not familiar with our little corner of the world – we love our privacy. We start stepping backward if someone talks to us and stands too close – within what we consider our comfort zone. This means that with each approaching step forward we take a step back – either we end up against a wall (a very bad option) or we begin our little dance by stepping aside so that the discussion nicely rotates 180 degrees while talking… 

Although this is not a time for jests, anyone who has followed the infamous ‘Very-Finnish-Problems’ on Instagram or Facebook by Joel Willans gets our small daily social dilemmas. (Yes, apparently to truly express the Finnish equilibrium, you have to be a Britt.) We never speak with strangers, and I mean almost never. Someone can ask you a direct question at a bus stop, and people will look to the skies and pretend they did not hear you. I have had folks literally try to climb over me on a crowded bus rather than say: “Excuse me, this is my stop”. 

“The Finnish worldview explained: Some people think I’m unhappy, but I’m not. I just appreciate silence in a world that never stops talking.”

~ Very Finnish Problems

So yes, our outdoorsy way of life and vast geography (5th largest country in Europe with an average of 17.64 people per square-kilometer) has made us rather peculiar, which is probably why we absolutely adore nature – come rain, hail or shine – there’s always room in nature. And make no mistake, we do our best to complain about the weather as well – cold or hot, no matter.

What we do not complain about is our access to nature and the beauty of it. In fact, I do not ever recall hearing anyone say there are too many trees (and all you can see from above landing to our airport at Helsinki-Vantaa are trees) or the sea is not the right shade and texture, that there are too many islands or too few, the national park is a disappointment, etc. Nothing of the like. No matter how small the flower in springtime, it gets all the “selfies” in the social media you can possibly imagine. Now more than ever I see people posting images enjoying their little walkabouts.

Nature defines us

Nature makes us feel that we are alive and part of the world – it defines who we are at the core. The ground may be muddy or filled with beautiful anemones white as snow, but there we are, enjoying the gifts of our Mother Earth. 

In this time of uncertainty – we may or may not be prepared what is yet to come. However, there is some truth to jests – we are used to getting along with a little distance. That does not mean we cannot or do not care for each other. In a time of crisis, we rise to the occasion. We have many means to take care of each other – making sure everyone is ok. I am touched every time someone asks me via social media if I’m ok – if I need any help. Small gestures are so important to many people right now! We should continue to dare to care in whatever ways we can. Our modern way of life has brought many cultural changes that could even be called a relationship-divide. Individualism is good, but caring collectivity with independence is better.

With my chronic illnesses, I cannot say that I feel entirely safe, and I take precautions as I have always done. However, I also leave some things to the Universe to take care of. It holds my soul on its vast palm, and I have asked that it takes good care of us. I know someone listens. While I cannot do much, I can, at least, do this – share my craft and care through this online ecosystem of ours. 

Stay safe!

“Caring about others, running the risk of feeling, and leaving an impact on people, brings happiness.”     

Harold Kushner

Read more: https://www.wiseoldsayings.com/caring-quotes/#ixzz6H58PC6x2