Same place, different viewpoint

This morning I had a wonderful walk around a reservoir that I have visited many times, often at this time of year because the Autumn colours are so beautiful. I parked in a different car park to usual because since the last time I visited I have moved to a new area of Yorkshire and I approached from a different direction.

This got me thinking; I realized that I have always walked this circular route in the same direction. I don’t know whether this is due to habit, autopilot or simply the comfortable feeling of familiarity but I decided it would be a good opportunity to experience the walk in a different way. So I walked around the reservoir in the opposite direction. Although I have been here many times, it felt like a new experience. I saw this place through a different lens and fresh eyes, noticing things I’ve not noticed before.

I stopped for my morning coffee on a bench close by the edge of the reservoir, surrounded by deciduous and evergreen trees. I spent some quiet still time simply sitting and was lucky enough to see a Goldcrest, the UK’s smallest bird a stunning little creature with a brilliant gold streak on its head. I also saw long tailed tits, cormorants and a woodpecker flying across the lake. Now I appreciate birds aren’t everyone’s cup of (Yorkshire) tea but the time I spent being connected with nature; whether it be the water, the trees and leaves, the clouds in the sky… created an overwhelming sense of calm and wellbeing.

I arrived back at the car park feeling refreshed and relaxed. What I took from this morning is, we live much of our lives on auto pilot! This is symptomatic of the fast pace of life we live in and all the balls we have to juggle simultaneously; getting through tasks as quickly and as smoothly as possible, in order to move onto the next one! But sometimes it can be helpful to pause, take a look at situations, challenges and everyday tasks with fresh eyes and take the time to simply ‘be’ with what is around us. As humans we need recovery time to reset ourselves from the stressful lives we lead, especially in the current climate. I find connecting with nature is a valuable tool to support us with this.