The Joy of The Morning Dew - A Morning's Promise Of A Fresh Start

Life came to exist here on this piece of space rock because a billion different odds came together to make it possible. Nature is a powerful force, a force to be recokoned with. I mean look at what she's done so far; you could extend Mother Nature on into our Universe and even beyond since it too is the world around us, even if we can't see it. Nature always amazes me, it's patterns as well as its force of change. Look at the Grand Canyon, carved over millions of years by the Colorado River from a once flat piece of land. The human body is just as much an example, it is the very reason I got into the healthcare field and eventually became a nurse. The human body and the way it works amazes me. I mean truly amazes me. The billions of different things, pieces, processes, on and on all happening at the same time in sync and in communication. Nature is powerful. We evolved from what was once nothing on this planet and look how complex we are now compared to the first single-celled organism that popped up here on Earth. 

Nature is obviously evident all around us, we have just trained ourselves not to see it - to ignore it. I love how many trees my neighborhood has, I'm lucky. There's also the park down the street. Besides, this is California - there are aloe plants and palm trees literally everywhere. I love going for walks just to be outside and under the trees,walking through the neighborhood. I love growing plants, I'm not always that good at it but I love it. Succulent plants are easy because they just need water and sun but can survive pretty well with even only a little water. I spend hours sometimes just watching them and looking at all the details. Sometimes I think about things and sometimes I just sit and examine the amazing living being in front of me that is also growing and changing. Some of those plants like the succulents are a great example. They, like many others, will grow toward the sunlight so depending on where you put them they will grow a different direction. They crave that light and that nourishment. 

Go for a walk sometime soon, and by soon I mean like today or tomorrow by the latest. Even if it's just for five minutes. I park my truck at work in the 1 hour parking zone so I'm forced to take 3 minutes every hour and take a deep breath and clear my head. Sometimes I take a 6 minute walk around the neighborhood. Nothing long or fancy, just something to get me back outside and connected to nature. Even in the city there are parks and trees. It's like re-charging your batteries in the best way possible. Take a long walk on the weekend. Look up at the open sky and remember why you are joyful and what you have to be joyful about. Be mindful and live here and now in the present. 

There are so many truly beautiful things in nature, everyday types of things. Things that happen because of nature's cycle - like the rain. Yes we have droughts and floods but it is still a water cycle that has developed and helped formed this planet. One beautiful thing about this cycle is the morning dew. The moisture in the cooler air at night falls as condensation when the temperature slowly begins to rise. The water droplets then form and are left on the surface of Earth, well the surfaces that have access to rain. In the morning take a step outside and look at the grass, look at the leaves on the trees or even the metal railings lining the walkways. I love the morning dew because it brings me joy by reminding me that some things do come from the cold harsh night, and it reminds me of freshness. A new start. A new beginning. A new day. I am a water sign and for some reason in an odd way water soothes me like nothing else can. When I see the morning dew I see the Joy I hold closest to my heart, my loving husband and our two dogs, my family and my writing; the potential this day has to propel one of those forward. No matter what happened yesterday. No matter the mistakes or problems or failures. Today take a look at the morning dew, take a moment to center and be mindful. Appreciate life and the things around you, what you have and what you someday will. Be happy in the here and now and take this chance to realize that every morning is a fresh start with a new chance to do whatever you want. You just have to want it. 

Simple Tool #1 - A Little Great Escape

For a while I've been thinking of starting a series or a set of posts that allow me to share the certain things, people and activities that bring me joy. The first one I am calling "Simple Tools." It is exactly that, a collection of simple little things that are so easy to do they will almost come naturally after a while. We can all use a little more joy in our lives, I'm hoping to share some tools I use to help me in order to either help you or help you find your own way. Joy is contagious, passing on these tools passes along infinite opportunities to create ones own joy as well as paying it forward to the world around.
One of the easiest and most simple ways to get a little joy out of life and gain some perspective is to just get up and go for a walk. I'm serious. The act of getting up and going for a walk helps your cardiovascular system, helps work out your muscles and eases your troubled mind. Getting even thirty minutes of exercise a day can do wonders for your health, including your concentration and sleep. For as long as I can remember I would always go for long walks whenever I was upset or stressed out. In college I remember going for ten mile runs to shake off all the anxiety and jitters after studying for one of my big nursing exams. The best part was the feeling when I was returning back home. Everything looked a little better and most of my problems had worked themselves out in my head while I ran. Sweating out all those toxins made my body as well as my mind feel reenergized. I was refreshed. Whether I thought things through as I ran, made a plan in my head or just let things simmer I always came home with at least a goal and a starting point. It was like hitting the reset button when life got just a little too crazy. Just getting out and being active increases self esteem, decreases stress, increases ones sense of well-being, leads to better rest and the list goes on almost indefinitely.

I remember my first two years as a new nurse on a medical-surgical floor in a hospital very well, including how I used to go outside on my lunch break every day for thirty minutes and walk around the pond next to the hospital. I would walk and eat or walk and drink. Sometimes I would just walk. Even when it was cold I would eat my lunch quickly or on the go so I could go straight outside for a walk all bundled up in my winter coat. The fresh air, even the cold air, always felt so good after the stale hospital air. Whenever I went back in and got back to whatever I was doing it seemed so much easier. The mountains weren't even mountains anymore. Besides, after eating I would go walking instead of sitting, helping to digest food and boost metabolism. As a new nurse with seven patients a day my mind was racing twenty-four seven. Even when I would get home I would sit at my kitchen table and go over every patient and every step in my day. In the end the only thing that freed me was making myself let go. One of my tricks to do that was going for a walk. When I quit smoking cigarettes I started running the next day, running more and more and faster and faster every day. It was hard as hell, but it paid off. I built up my strength and resilience.
Today I go for walks all the time. My partner and I are now going at least two miles every day. During the day we will text each other and come up with where we want to go that day, and as soon as I get off work I come home to change so we can go. Miss Daenerys Stormborn, our little deer chihuahua, comes with us almost every day. She loves it and looks forward to it just as much as we do. There are certain spots and parks where when we pull up she starts going crazy in the truck because she knows exactly where she's at. The squirrels are her favorite, she could chase them for hours. It's funny to watch them tease each other. She makes me forget about everything going on, even the stressful things I was planning on going over and over in my head while I was hiking. Watching her run and play is priceless. She gets this little smile on her face that just makes me grin. Dany only has me and my partner, we are the ones who take care of and provide for her. In that same sense I also believe that it is our responsibility to make sure she is happy and lives a joyful life. I love doing things for her just as much as I do for my partner or my friends. I love it when she gets excited, I know that she really means it. The joy is limitless when it comes to dogs, or really any pets. Thousands of books have been written about it, but it all boils down to one thing. It is the same as with for people, we are passing joy along to someone else. This someone else just happens to have some fur and paws. The reward it just as great though.
Anyway, back to the walk. Dany loves going exploring with us and we love bringing her. She is a piece of our little family. You can go with your family, your friends or alone. Being with people who care about you always helps ease your mind and relax you, just as sometimes being alone and just taking in the silence is the healing we need. A walk can be for five minutes or it can be for hours, it's up to you and how much time you have. Now at work I park out in front of one of the houses so I have to move my truck every hour. Those five minutes of walking and moving the truck are little breathers that help me wipe my slate clean and get through the day without a problem. Sometimes I'll take a lunch and go for a walk in one of the parks down the street for thirty minutes or until I am relaxed enough to return. One of my favorite things to do when I am stressed is to go to Wal Mart or Target and just walk around. I am weird I know. The point is there are a million reasons and a million ways to take a walk. Inside, outside, up the stairs, down the stairs, running, walking - whatever it may be. It's about you and bringing yourself that calming sense of joy.
Make it a regular habit and part of your routine. Then when something comes up that's unexpected you just take a step out and walk it off. Go around the corner, around the block or around to the other side of the park. The point is, just go. There's always time. Maybe after work you walk around the parking lot or down the block and back before getting in the car and going home. Walk off the day, get everything off your mind. Relax yourself, it's what you want anyway. Why not actually proactively do something about it? Today at work one of the guys hadn't used the bathroom, and he had a history of stomach problems, so I took a break and went for a walk around the block and neighborhood with him. I had fun and it kept me smiling the whole time. Of course it worked, but taking the time to go with him is what did it for me.
I challenge you to add more steps to your day. Phones are now coming with built in pedometers, there are fitness bands like the one each of us have that count steps and other things. It's an easy way to track yourself and increase your stepping actively. Even if you don't have any of that, try to add steps to your routine. Park in the back of the parking lot. Walk all the way around the store before going to the check out line. When you walk to the mailbox take a few minutes to walk down the street and back. Go in the side of the mall farthest from the store you want to go to. Have fun with it, I do. Make it a challenge or a game. Find silly little ways to randomly, or habitually, get yourself going. You will feel better, I promise. Joy is an elusive thing, mostly because we have so much in our heads blocking it out. There are things we can do to help focus and relax and really take a look at ourselves and the world around us, simple little tools to survive. The first one is this: take a hike, go for a walk - clear your mind so that you can be productive again and get more of the stuff done you want. Taking a break works, starting back with a fresh battery at one in the afternoon is sure as hell a lot better than running on twenty percent voltage. Take a loved one, a pet, with you or go alone. Do what feels right, just do it.