Self Nurturing: God’s Great Outdoors

Finally I get to sit outside in my lanai with my laptop and my Muse.  The temperature out here today at almost 1.30pm registers seventy seven degrees Fahrenheit.  It was already seventy one degrees at about 11am this morning:-).  I was able to enjoy sitting out here in the warmth, with the birds singing and eating greedily from the feeders in the yard, the breeze sighing gently through the pine trees, and truly appreciate my quiet time.

That done, I prepared my breakfast and brought it out here.  Because it is Sunday my husband is home with me, and he too made some breakfast and came out to join me in the lanai.  It is such a simple thing, a husband and a wife sitting and quietly enjoying breakfast together in the open air, but it brings me much joy.  

I am happy!!  There is nothing I enjoy more than to be out in God’s creation, breathing in the fresh air and watching His creatures in their natural habitat.  My head seems much clearer.  Not sure what it is with artificially controlled air, whether it be winter heating or summer air conditioning, but I do not feel right in my head when I am forced to breath in that kind of air on a regular basis.

The sun has been shining on and off all morning.  But even now, with gray clouds obscuring the sun, the underlying feeling is one of natural warmth and life.  I can even smell the warmth in the air.  Real oxygen energizes me in a way that nothing else does and the warmth makes my body feel alive, open, and at the same time, comforted.  I could just sit outside and experience this all day, every day, and feel totally content.  I guess I am a very simple person at heart.

Yesterday I added a new bird feeder to the garden.  This morning it was swarming with birds.  A short while ago my husband put up another hook and we added yet one more feeder.  The little guys have yet to discover it, but I’m sure it won’t take them long. And as I watch them, a black butterfly with bright markings flutters outside the lanai screening as though trying to enter: good morning Mamma:-)

And in the meantime, Mokka cat is also enjoying the gift of this wonderful day.  She is lounging luxuriously on top of the storage chest here in the lanai, basking in the sun’s warmth.  Her tail is swishing slowly from side to side as she watches the bird activity outside the lanai.  From time to time her nose or an ear twitches, and I am wondering what is going on in her cat brain.

There is nothing exotic or grandiose about all this, and that is the true beauty contained therein.  I do not need riches or an extravagant lifestyle nor do I need to be surrounded by material wealth in order to feel rich.  I just need a day like today and the undeniable gift of being able to enjoy it.