Just for a moment

Just for a moment... I stop and listen. I hear the waves pounding on the beach. I hear the sun rising in the sky. I hear the moon dancing with the stars. I hear the birds start to sing. I hear the flowers learn to grow. I hear the birth of a child. I hear the Earth breathe. But above all these sounds, one soars on high Just for a moment I stop and listen... And I hear your voice Welcome and thank you for visiting! As a student there are times when my life seems so hectic... I'll have a piece of coursework due in each week for the following 9 weeks, I'll have vocab to learn, grammar to practise, essays to write, lectures to attend, presentations to give... and then there's the other stuff like washing my clothes, cooking my dinner etc. (Not all students have lots of free time!!) I'm sure you all know what it's like to feel under pressure to meet this deadline and to do that and make time for just one more thing... It can be hard to find time for oneself. But we need to take time out to relax, rejuventate and see the Beauty in Life. My university has a beautiful campus and I have spent many an afternoon wandering the long way home, so as to walk around the lake, feed the squirrels, talk to the ducks etc. I am also extremely lucky to have enthusiastic gardners for parents! I have always been able to get out into nature and have found that when the pressures of life seem to be getting too much, I have been able to go outside, breathe in the fresh air and feel close to nature. By spending time outside, you become more grounded. Away from the stresses of your life, a walk outside can refresh your mind, heart and soul! I have come to see connecting with nature a way to connect to my own *inner nature*. And as I believe that we are all One with God, I have also come to see connecting to nature as a way to connect to God too. However, I do not believe that you have to believe any of this to reap the rewards of going outside and connecting with Nature. And it only takes a minute! As the poem above and the title of this site shows, all it takes is 'Just a Moment'.

Why not try some of the following and see how wonderful connecting to nature can be.

• Find a place in nature where you can go often and be undisturbed
• Watch a cloudy sky. note the different types of clouds and cloud formations. Watch how the wind blows them. If you can see into the distance, look at how the shadows they create move along the ground. Watch out particularly for times when the sun manages to shine through the clouds, creating streams of Light cascading down to Earth.
• Watch an evening sky, particularly in summer and as the colours change, note their beuaty and what effects they have on you.
• Let the wind play with your hair, or if you're a girl, let your skirt waft around your ankles.
• Sit and close your eyes, letting the wind gently rock you. Note the emotions it evokes.
• Sit under a night sky and gaze up at the stars and the moon. Think about all the people, all around the world who have looked upon this very sky, and those who are now looking at it. (This is particularly good if miles away from home and under a full moon... think about your loved ones, who miss you, sitting under the exact same moon!)
• Go to the sea (if you can) and site and listen to the waves, note the steady rhythm that it plays out. It is the metronome of the Divine Music.
• Sit on a beach and dig your hands into the sand, then raising your hands up, let the sand trickle through your fingers. Note the sensation.
• Whilst as the beach, close your eyes and listen to the wind. The wind has a very distinctive sound on the sea front.
• Go to a wooded area and have a walk. See the light shining through the tree-tops, feed the squirrels (if there are any) and birds, or leave nuts and breadcrumbs for them to find.
• Walk by a stream and listen to the water gently trickling over the rocks. Note the wildlife around it.