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The Value of Nature as an Antidote to Pandemic Stress
The natural world is carrying on, oblivious to the news
A bright red Scarlet Tanager has been policing the perimeter of my property. He starts at dawn in the big pine in the southeast corner, singing his bright song of simple notes, warning any trespassers to keep out. Then he goes to the hedgerow on the east side of the garden, again singing his warning song.
He continues moving around the border of the acre and a half, ending up in the pine tree again at the end of his rounds. Then he starts again. He does this all day long, a tireless defender of his female and her nest, wherever she is hidden in my garden.
I find so much comfort in the rhythms of nature, especially now. Many days I am head down in my phone, reading all the grim news, wishing I could just go to the Y and swim and then stop for a coffee afterward. The song of this grand orator causes me to jerk my head up, waking me up to the beauty of the day. I look up, pay attention and smile.
The creatures in my garden seem to be unphased by all the bad news that is our new reality. They are busy doing what they do every year at this time. They are pairing up, building nests, or digging burrows, lining them with the soft feathers my chickens drop in the yard, and working diligently to…
