The Blog and Me - What we're all about

The Blog

All my life I have known the sense of pleasure and awe that comes with making personal discoveries in the natural world. The term “natural world” as used here doesn’t just mean living things. It means anything that’s part of nature, from the outer reaches of the universe to the inner recesses of humankind itself. (After all we are indeed an amazing aspect of nature.) By making little packages of some of my experiences and related thoughts and putting them in this blog I hope to inspire you to reflect on similar moments in your own life, and perhaps share them with others. Maybe we can get a ripple effect going as the recalling and sharing spread out to more and more people and thoughts of nature move into the consciousness of our fellow citizens of planet earth. That could lead to a better life for all of us, and make a friendlier, healthier home of our planet (which really doesn't care if we're here or not).

Before we move into the story telling I'm going to post some thoughts on the why, when, where, and how of connecting with nature. I hope they will provide you with some useful insights and perhaps a bit of helpful guidance.


Me

I asked myself why I am spending time writing this blog. Several answers popped up.

For reasons unknown to me I enjoy writing. Looking back I see that it started in fifth grade when I wrote my first poem. It continued through my days as a“homeroom reporter” for my  junior high school and  later as as writer and associate editor of my high school newspaper. I thrilled to make an occasional contribution to my hometown daily, my university daily,  or my college poetry magazine. During my career I became writer and sometimes editor of a newsletter for technical employees where I worked. On the private side I filled notebooks with mental meanderings. In summary it seems I have a psychophysical need to feel a pen in my hand.

In writing for myself the two most common themes have been the working of the human mind and my experiences with nature.

Like most people I enjoy sharing my experiences whenever I can find a willing listener, which isn’t very often. By writing my stories down I can at least hope that someone, somewhere, someday, will read one and say “That was fun” or “That was interesting”. I’ve often thought of writing a book to share thoughts and experiences, but have never really known how to get started.

Writing a blog provides the experience of writing a book but without some of the more troublesome aspects. I get to choose my subject and material. I get to challenge myself to do my very best writing. Unlike the publishing of a book I get reader reactions here directly and promptly. I get to edit, rewrite, or reorganize in response to readers comments or to my own evolving views, whenever I want, even post-publication. I don’t have to be concerned about whether my writing is a commercial success. After all I haven’t invested any cold cash in it, just my time. And perhaps most important of all to me as a retiree, I don’t have to work to someone else’s schedule. True I may sometime set a tough deadline for myself, but at least it’s mine and if I don’t make it I won’t berate myself to the point of feeling that I’ve failed some test of my capabilities.

I sincerely hope you will enjoy what you find here. - KB

The Joy Is In The Small Stuff

During my hours as a volunteer Roving Wildlife Interpreter at Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge I putter along the Wildlife Drive hoping to meet some visitors with good questions for me. ("Good" means ones I can answer intelligently.) It's a delight to share an observation of a distant bird or a close-up look at a wildflower with interested visitors. Sometimes I learn more from them than they do from me. At times a connection with these folks seems to just happen with no effort required from either side.

Occasionally I see some rhinocerous people driving by. I use this tag to lump together all those people who take the drive at a steady 20 miles an hour just skimming the scenery with their eyes. I can only imagine they're looking for a rhinocerous even though we don't have any here in Minnesota. They're not about to stop for anything smaller or less spectacular. If they actually saw a rhinoceros they would probably stop to watch it for a minute or two before driving on. I wish I could reach these people and let them know about the pleasure in the small stuff.

At the other end of the spectrum I've met a few birders who will set up their spotting scopes and stay rooted to one spot for half an hour while they enjoy observing a family of nesting eagles or a peregrine falcon watching over its kingdom from a tree top.

True, the big stuff in nature is impressive. We humans seem designed to be attentive to things on a large scale. That's probably a basic survival skill. But for me, and I suspect for many others, the real joy in nature comes from the small stuff. That means those things that require a bit of focused attention; observations that reward us with a moment of understanding; a fresh insight that increases our sense of oneness with the natural world. Such observations involve some learned skills. They use the most acute aspects of our senses. And they provide a deeper sense of reward than everyday casual observations.

Initially our joy may come from basic identification. Recognizing a flower, or bird, or butterfly and having confidence in that recognition provides a first step into nature, the first excitement of something achieved. There are endless opportunities to stay in this mode. Once you know all your trees you can start on ferns, then dragonflies, then birds, ad infinitum.

Identification will always be a pleasure. Coming across some citizen of the natural world can be akin to greeting a cherished friend. The pleasure is always there. And it requires nothing more than recognition. And as with human friendships the pleasure of greeting changes over time from a flush of excitement upon connecting with a new found friend to a comfortable feeling of appreciation for those who have truly become part of our lives.

With these writings I will share some thoughts and feelings growing out of my moments of connection with nature and hopefully encourage you to reflect upon your own experiences. And maybe between us we'll encourage someone else to begin a life-long process of connecting with the natural world.