When we take a walk in the wilderness of our natural world, we rarely think that a rock should be a different color or a tree shaped differently from the way it is. The waves aren’t supposed to be making any sound other than the one they are making. Crows caw and clouds scud across the sky if it’s windy. The reflection of a tree in a lake becomes the depth of its beauty. It’s all exactly as it needs to be, simply because it is. We humans, however, always feel we could be different or improved upon. This happens especially when our bodies feel frail: we judge our own body much more harshly than we would a wounded fox that we find in the forest or a dolphin enmeshed in a net. In the case of a fox or a dolphin, our hearts pour out compassion and eagerness to help and heal. In our own cases, however, we beat ourselves up for our wounds or our weakness. Have more compassion! Fill your lungs and heart with care and tenderness for every little part of yourself. Your body works so hard to take care of you, and if a bit of it has been strained, give it the gratitude it deserves. Smile into it tenderly. It’s not just your body that needs your self-compassion, but your thoughts as well. You think things of yourself you would never express about someone else, much less about a snowflake or the stars in the sky. Feel yourself a part of nature, and allow all the tenderness and compassion and stillness you feel toward nature to fill every part of you. You are part of it and you are one with it.
