Awe & Wonder

6.13

"Some of the most promising innovations in healthcare seem to be things we've recently discarded. Maybe we need food that wasn't developed in a lab. Maybe we need to talk face to face. Maybe we need some time outside."

That's a quote from the May issue of Outside magazine in a feature article on 'Nature Rx' stating, "a grassroots movement of physicians are prescribing time outdoors as the best possible cure for a growing list of ailments."

I've been a subscriber to Outside magazine on and off for almost 30 years, and it continues as a tremendous resource for living bravely, and making nature and simple nutrition part of our wellness journey. The benefits are real, and now, thankfully, there are numerous bodies of research developing around the reality of wellness through natural living and whole foods.

Growing up in the 70's, it was normal for my brother and me to spend a lot of time outside. Riding bikes, climbing trees, searching for crayfish in the local creek, adventuring in the nearby cornfields - it was all fair game. There are memories that still come flooding back at the simple suggestion of a smell or sound or a humid afternoon...

One aspect of nature's healing power is the reality of awe, and how it inspires our spirit and lends to our wellness. The Nature Rx article offered this on awe: "...the kind of amazement we experience during outdoor activities has a singular ability to predict lower stress and higher levels of well-being and life satisfaction." That's a great prescription for health, if you ask me.

The sense of awe and wonder is a main draw for me in my running habit, my training workouts, and Spartan racing. I don't wear earbuds or sunglasses (or even a hat) because I want the full experience of the glare of the sun in my eyes... I want to hear the woodpeckers and blue jays in the woods... every time I'm out, I want to be humbled by what God has placed in this world for us to enjoy.

There is a simple prescription from the Outside article that we can all benefit from: scrap your gym membership. Whatever we might possibly do at the gym, simply do outside. Yes, we may hike in the rain and run in the snow, or bake in the heat and humidity of a hot summer day. But if we prepare for those conditions and go play outside, our wellness will move ahead much more successfully.

By the Way

In order to be awesome, I think we must experience awe. One encouragement we've always given to our kids is, "Go Be Awesome". Being awesome looks different for each and every person, and certainly depends on our circumstances and giftedness, but I believe we all have the chance to be awesome every day. So go find a sunrise or a mountain peak or a soaring eagle or rushing river to inspire some awe in you today... then go be awesome.