Rest, Connection and Rejuvenation

We need to ensure we build in good time for rest and connection with friends, family and nature in our weekly cycle. Holiday periods provide important time for us to change rhythm, rest and connect.  Taking time to connect with nature improves physical, mental and spiritual wellbeing.  While there is growing research about the very significant positive effects that nature has on our health and wellbeing, I suspect that this is one of the many instances where the research is catching up with what we already intuitively know.  Many of us already enjoy the benefits that walking on the beach or through a forest, swimming in the sea, paddling or surfing, can bring.  Even pausing to watch a sunrise or sunset or listening to the birds sing early in the morning can shift our mindset.

Taking time to connect with nature provides time for us to connect with God as we appreciate His creation.  We can slow down and recognise the richness of life that we are immersed in.  While the electronic world moves at an ever-increasing pace, God is ever present in the magnitude and beauty of nature to refresh and rejuvenate mind, body and soul.