Nature and the lack of expectations

Offline Recess is a newsletter that invites you to pause from digital distractions and rediscover the joy of finding inspiration on your own terms, away from the algorithm.

A quick summary: It’s Sunday and today we’re exploring:

• Nature requiring nothing of us

• A few nostalgic things

• How you can’t choose others’ boundaries

I did not have anyone edit this so if you see a typo, be relieved that I’m a human and not a robot.

Intersections

things that are connecting during my recess

I was given an assignment from both my therapist and my coach earlier this month: be in nature. A dose of being outdoors and among the trees wasn’t because I needed a break from a screen (I did and I do). It wasn’t because I needed to move my body (I did and I do). It wasn’t to try to access some breakthrough or get creative. I was challenged to do it because “nature requires nothing of you.” It doesn’t need me to manage anything. I can observe and just be. 

And so today I spent the afternoon in nature, by myself. The ground was icy. And it was muddy. The birds lived their life as I walked by, unbothered. I could hear all of the other little critters but never saw them. It was cold but I kept warm. I watched the sun start to kiss the top of the tree line. It was so quiet that I heard my own breathing. 

While it felt like it was a generally uneventful outing, I reframed it. Life was happening, no matter if I was there to witness it or not. And I think that was the point.

Feeling nostalgic

a little blast from the past

• Listening to Michelle Branch’s 2003 album Hotel Paper

• Getting excited about Goodnight Moon stamps

• Remembering Amelia Writes Again!!!! ← extremely influential in my desire to draw and write

• Thinking about watching Harriet The Spy

• Considering glitter nail polish

Just ask

a quote that stuck with me

“Most people don’t ask for help because they do not want to burden others, but here’s something worth remembering: You cannot decide people’s boundaries for them. You must allow people to communicate what they can or cannot do for you.” -Minaa B. LMSW

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