What images do you see when thinking of Passover?
What images do you see when thinking of Spring?
What images do you see when thinking of Earth Day?
My Passover visuals are the family Seder, the Seder Plate and the foods we cook.
While picturing Spring, I see G-d’s pallet of colors in Cherry Blossoms, Magnolia trees and a velvet blanket of green hills.
Earth Day snapshots for me are trees and leaves, climate change experiences, sustainable living habits, protecting ecosystems and endangered species and recycling—basically preserving what we have.
I have a friend I’ve known for decades who was always on-the-go 24/7. I had always felt that my time with her was on speed-dial because she had to move on to her next thing. Her calendar was filled to the minute with the goal to do good for others while working for a JCC, volunteering for a variety of Jewish organizations and community groups and still prioritizing her family first. Her intensions were to be the best person she could be, a real mensch, and always wanting to give back.
But I recently noticed a huge change in her. The shift I observed was gradual and it started with her speaking more slowly, more deliberately, sharing more details and asking more questions about me and my family and wanting more specifics.
Lately, she’s shared how she has reduced her commitments to fewer. Surprisingly, she told me that she was learning to say “NO” when asked to volunteer for this, that or whatever! Not like her. I was concerned that maybe she was ill and bluntly asked if she was healthy. She wanted to know why I asked and I simply said that moving at a slower pace was out of character for her. Her reply was, “For a 70-year-old woman, I’m healthier than ever and not just physically but mentally!”
She revealed to me a Japanese practice she has become involved with called, “Shinrin-Yoku,” that translate into “Forest Bathing.” In the 1980s, the Japanese became aware that their population was overworked and not working or living to their capacity. Over the decades, as more people became involved in this practice, the health issues for the Japanese people improved with many personal benefits.
Shinrin-Yoku invites you to break away from your busy life and engage in the mindful practice of learning how to reduce stress, anxiety and depression. Maybe not a new concept because many of us do yoga, meditation and heavy breathing sessions. But the Japanese were convinced that connecting with nature for more individual awareness would bring a calming and enlightened result through the patterns and beauty of nature.
Not everyone lives near a forest but any outdoor environment that has trees, flowers, bushes, water, animals, grass and dirt can be your forest. Simply quiet yourself, immerse yourself in your surroundings, put your senses to the forefront and engage in the sights, sounds, smells and textures to experience the natural world.
This is more than a leisurely walk in the park. This is about really looking, listening and observing your surroundings!
-Listen to the chirping birds. Watch them fly from tree to tree or a butterfly fly from flower to flower. What does their patterns of flight mean?
-Observe the squirrel scampering from branch to branch, tree to tree. What is his objective?
-Look at the bees collect their nectar and pollen. Was it enough to feed their colony?
-Watch the mama bird sit on her nest then push her babies out. Watch the mama duck waddle across the lake with her babies behind. What does this tell you about families?
-Are the fragrances of the roses more noticeable today than the last time you smelled them?
-Touch a rock, flower petal, tree bark or dried leaves or a cactus. How do these different textures relate to survival and protection?
This Shinrin-Yoku adventure is a mindful experience aimed at redirecting your attention outside of your mind and body to reduce your everyday stresses and promote your wellbeing by connecting nature to humanity to Earth to what is natural.
I have spent time taking Forest Bathing outings and it’s been a new experience every day. The day I saw the mama bird push her baby out of the nest, I realized, “Give them roots and then give them wings.” One day, I collected some rocks, leaves, petals and tree bark. I sat on a park bench and touched and rubbed my fingers over each one in a deliberate way. My realization was that, like the rock, some days are very hard, like the petal, some days are smooth going with luscious smells and colors, while tree bark gave me a splinter and I heard myself yell, “Ouch!”—there are days that hurt. The crispy leaves made me laugh because most of my life, while walking, I will go out of my way to step on crunchy leaves because I love the sound!
And then, recently, while on one of my Forest Bathing days, I was aware that Passover was soon upon us, meaning to me, Spring was approaching and then I saw a sign for an Earth Day event. I stopped in my tracks and connected the dots of Passover, Spring, Earth Day and how Forest Bathing were all related.
The fact that they all come within the same time of year seems like no coincidence. It all feels like a time of change and renewal for climate, for nature’s colors, for being aware of our surroundings; taking care of the Earth, our loved ones, those who need help, saving our people, our religion and country and preserving our environment.
Connecting the dots for Passover, Spring and Earth Day requires much thought and work, even if we contribute a lot or a little. We are all connected to the values and elements that bring these three special times to us so we have a responsibility to participate in honoring their meaning, what they mean to the future to Jews, the climate and environment. Without noticing the power of each, we cannot endure. As Jews, our best quality is to endure, to participate, to fight for the sake of our next generations.
Passover, Spring, Earth Day and Shinrin-Yoku carry a profound message for preserving the values and fundamentals that give us and sustain life, feed our humanity, connect us to each other through the basics that make up our world.
We are the guests on the planet Earth, we need to honor and protect nature and ourselves to secure the future for our loved ones.
Chag Sameach, be safe and well!….Sandy
As a Baby Boomer Bubbe who still feels 18 but has four grand kids to prove this is the 21 Century, Sandra writes to leave a legacy for the next generations. Her belief that these precious kids need to know their cultural and family’s past in order for them to live their future is all the muse she needs!
She has a Master’s Degree in Psychology and Cross Cultural studies, has written a family history, personal memoir and is completing her first novel.
Her grandmother’s journey to America and life is her source for her deep belief and love for Judaism.
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