Wednesday, March 22, 2017 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
17
Of a certain age…
By Sue Stafford
Columnist
I was fortunate to grow up
surrounded by nature. Our
house sat on an acre-plus lot,
containing numerous mature
apple and pear trees tended
by my father and overflow-
ing flowerbeds that were
my mother’s domain. Every
summer the back third of our
property burst into a plenti-
ful vegetable garden.
There were multitudes of
forts and secret hiding places
both in the yard and in the
many-acre wood behind our
property. Forested trails, a
lazy stream, and an abundant
hillside of blackberries were
all mine for exploring and
pretending.
Throughout my child-
hood I had four-legged com-
panionship — dogs, cats,
and even a pet raccoon.
Borrowed and rented horses
filled my longing for the
equine experience.
Now, all these many
years later, I am again sur-
rounded by towering ever-
green trees, a meandering
creek, two feline compan-
ions, local deer, and spec-
tacular mountains that never
fail to take my breath away.
In the intervening years, I
developed a passion for gar-
dening, eventually sharing
my love of nature as a hor-
ticultural therapist, working
with people facing serious
mental-health challenges.
It was during that time of
life that I witnessed proof-
positive the value of nature
for healing our human ills —
physical, emotional, mental,
and spiritual.
Author Richard Louv
wrote a book about the
importance of children hav-
ing the opportunity to be
immersed in the outdoors.
Pediatricians have begun
prescribing vitamin N
(nature) for their patients.
Outdoor school is again
gaining popularity for fifth-
and sixth-graders to experi-
ence learning in an outdoor
setting.
Here in Sisters, where
we are surrounded by
nature’s bounty, students
have multiple opportunities
through IEE and other pro-
grams to experience Mother
Nature’s gifts and to appre-
ciate the need for steward-
ship of those gifts. While
they are learning, there are
other more subtle benefits
accruing.
Studies have shown that
time spent in nature posi-
tively impacts self-esteem,
mood, and social interaction.
Stress levels are reduced,
people feel happier, and
creativity increases. Other
studies suggest a lessening
of depression and/or anxiety
occur in nature.
In Japan, forest bathing
is encouraged, based on the
belief that spending time
walking in the woods has
therapeutic effects. Forest
schools in Finland and
Scotland are kindergartens
for children up to age seven
who spend most of their day
outdoors, regardless of the
weather, interacting with
nature.
Sisters’ own Brett Miller,
a veteran of the Iraq war, is
providing experiences for
our wounded veterans to
heal in nature through his
Warfighter Outfitters. Being
outdoors, hunting and fish-
ing, in communion with
nature and each other, helps
to heal the scars of war.
Perhaps the reason so
many people love Sisters
is because of the effect
our surroundings have on
us. Scientific studies point
to increased creativity,
increased feelings of gener-
osity, and a stronger sense
of community coming from
experiencing the great out-
doors on a regular basis.
What if you can’t get out
and hike the trails or kayak
the lakes? A pleasing view
out a hospital window has
shown to improve healing
time for a patient. Planting
a few seeds in a pot on a
windowsill is a belief in
the future. When you plant
that seed and wait for it to
sprout, you believe you will
see a time when that seed
becomes a plant.
Sitting quietly outside,
listening to the birds sing-
ing, feeling the breeze in my
hair, and the warmth of the
sun on my face, or smell-
ing the new-mown grass
helps quiet my chattering
mind, soothes my soul, and
reminds me of my place in
the universe.
As the daylight lengthens
and the temperatures warm,
make time to get outdoors.
Immerse yourself in nature.
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gleam in the
ann ~
~ Max Ehrm
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