For as long as I can remember, my stepmom has given me a book for Christmas. It is a gift I look forward to every year.  Most years it is just one book, but sometimes a series of books – a holiday bonus. Like the year she gave me The Little House on The Prairie series. I remember running my finger along the wrapping paper to feel how many books were in the box – eight. Another year she gave me a series of seven books. On the outside of the wrapping paper was a bumper sticker with a drawing of an old lamppost and words that read, “There’s no place like Narnia”. I had no idea what that meant but I couldn’t wait to find out.

When I was eight years old, she gave me The Yearling by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings. It is still one of my favorite books and every couple of years I sit down and read it again. Like I did as a kid, I love the descriptions of the backwoods of Florida in the late 1800’s. Early in the book the main character Jody finds himself deserting his chores to play down by the creek. While at the creek he builds himself a flutter mill, a small water wheel made of sticks and Palmetto fronds that spins when he puts it in the flowing water of the creek. Jody lays down to watch the waterwheel turn. In the book, Rawlings writes, “He threw himself on the weedy sand close to the water and abandoned himself to the magic of motion.” If you are unfamiliar with the book, I don’t want to give too much away but Jody is eventually lulled to sleep by the movement of the flutter mill. When he awakes, he finds that he has been visited by a deer while asleep on the sand.

After reading that book, whenever my daily excursions took me to our nearby creek, I practiced my flutter mill making skills. Hoping to also be lulled to sleep by the magical motion of the wheel and wake up to my very own visit from a deer. I was eight, so you’ll humor me in thinking it could happen. Many decades later, I’m still drawn to the idea of laying down on the cool, soft ground and doing nothing but mindfully observing the flow of the water. To be only focused on my senses and the natural world around me. I’m drawn to the nap part too.

The theme for this season’s newsletter is “Taking a Closer Look at Nature”. Practicing Mindful Observations in nature can be a way for us to take a closer look. Like Jody’s experience with the flutter mill while at the creek, these experiences allow us to tune in to the sounds, smells, and sights of nature. The practice of Mindful Observation has been linked to both mental and physical well-being. People experienced decreased stress and negative thoughts, along with increased concentration and focus. It also increases one’s appreciation and understanding of the natural world.

Imagine in the upcoming year, we find time for mindful experiences and observations in Nature. If we took the time to “abandon ourselves to the magic of Nature”. Forsake our chores for a few hours stolen away for a walk in the woods, the beach, or a nearby park. No distractions or agendas. No expectations or judgement of what you will do or experience. Just observing with curiosity and wonder the movement of the sycamore leaves in wind, the busyness of the acorn woodpecker gathering and storing acorns in its granary, or the moon rising in the winter sky.

My hope for you in 2025 is that you find some time to create a deeper understanding and connection with Nature. To embrace the natural world with the childlike curiosity of a kid who has ditched their chores to go play in the woods. I wish this also for myself…and another good book. I can’t wait to see what book I’ll get this year.

A note about The Yearling: In addition to the beautiful descriptions of Florida’s swamps and wilderness, this book has other complicated themes. These include the harsh realities of rural life in the late 19th century, death, and racism.

Image Credit: N.C. Wyeth, Illustrator