Bring Nature To You
But Lynn, you say, I don’t live next to a forest! I live between a dumpster and an old windowless building! Yes, time in nature is not accessible to everyone. Especially every day or every week. Over 50% of people live in urban environments. We need to be close to our jobs, family, and good healthcare.
In this case, one way to experience nature is to bring it into your space. We already covered pets, of course. But there are a few other ways to experience nature in an urban environment. The first way is houseplants! I LOVE houseplants. I can spend all my money at the cute local plant store with adorable pots and knowledgeable staff. If you are new to houseplants, I have two tips: 1) start with Succulents. They thrive on neglect and are resilient. 2) look at your windows. In the US, a South or East facing window will give you the most sunlight; a West or North facing window will give you less sunlight. Take that information to your local plant store and ask questions. The staff will know which plants do best in shade, heavy sunlight, limited sunlight, etc. I have Succulents and shade plants (veriegated, with painted leaves). Both I water every 2 weeks. I soak them completely and let them drain in the sink.
In the book Joyful: The Surprising Power of Ordinary Things to Create Extraordinary Happiness, the author Ingrid Fetell Lee interviews a woman named Summer Oakes with 670 plants in her apartment. Summer says “The plants seriously do root me. I feel rooted here, even though I don’t own this apartment.” Lee goes on to make the argument “While rootedness sounds like the opposite of freedom, after hearing Oakes talk, I realized the two are intimately related. Feeling stable at home has made her feel free to take risks in professional life she might not otherwise have embraced. By creating a subtle sense of security, the plants have fueled her liberation.” What a beautiful idea.
A 2022 study on post-graduate students links indoor houseplants to relaxes physiology and improved cognition. Amazingly, a 2002 study found that people recovering from surgery needed less pain medication and stayed in the hospital a shorter amount of time when the patient looked at plants and flowers in their room. There are many studies with the same results. Houseplants can improve creativity, increase job satisfaction, positively impact air quality, improve productivity, and increase attention span. What a miracle cure!
There are even more ways to bring nature inside. My therapist had a very soothing tabletop water fountain in her office. You can invest in a salt lamp, decorate with river rocks or crystals, or buy a mini Japanese dry sand garden. You can hang paintings or photos of beautiful landscapes, water falls, or mountains. How will you bring some nature into your home or office this year?
All my indoor plant babies gathered in one spot for you! As you can see, some are thriving and some are struggling. I aquired these slowly over time, and I am maxxed out with plant caretaking and window space. I especially love the plant that is third from the right that looks like it’s trying to escape. Where are you going girl?