Did you honor May Day?  Celebrations date back to Roman times and a celebration for Flora the Roman goddess of flowers.  Also Sweden and other European countries have long celebrated Walpurgis Night around this time.  May Day is also associated with the Gaelic Beltane, most commonly held on April 30.  It is the end of six months of darkness and the start of six months of light.  In addtion to maypoles, flowers and trees, bonfires are associated with the holiday.  I went to a Beltane Ceili dance at Celtic Junction.  It is something like square dancing but a little more complicated.  I worked my cardio vascular system to the max.  My brain got a good workout too learning something new.  I’m going to continue as the energy was so positive I heard whoops of joy from dancers.

I’m revisiting lessons we can learn from nature.  At least in Minnesota all things have a season of growth and a season of hibernation and we need that too.  Also, we can learn the lesson of patience.  “Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.” Lao Tzu.  We naturally want to eat differently as the weather changes and foods should be changed to match the seasons.  We should adjust our physical activity and do less in super hot weather.  There are actually physical benefits to watching the sunrise and watching the sun set can help with our sleep.

As the ice has transformed into liquid this last month I’m enjoying watching the returning geese.  It is so relaxing to watching their actions in the watershed area behind my house.  Some leadership training has used them as examples.  Geese take turns in their V formation so that leader can go to the back and rest.  They get about a 70% better flying range than they would if going solo.  If one is shot down or gets sick two will stay with that goose until it dies or can fly again.  It is believed that honking while flying is meant to encourage the flock.

Another lesson from nature is we need the right environment to thrive.  I moved my pothos plant from a dark room to in front of my picture window and it doubled in sized.  May is mental health awareness month.  We now have environmental psychologists.  They have found exposure to trees, grass and flowers effectively reduces stress.  Studies show being outside can help with depression.  Since I left the corporate world I love that my job changes with the season.  Working for Park and Rec I’m outside all summer.  At the eating disorder clinic I lead groups on our deck and take the most stable patients on nature walks.  Even looking out a window or at picture of nature can have health benefits.

One of the first examples of a quote about nature that had a great impact on me is from one of my favorite authors, JOSEPH CAMPBELL: “Well, the goal of your quest for yourself is to find that burning point in your point, that becoming thing in yourself, which is fearless and desire less, but just becoming. This is the condition of a warrior going into battle with perfect courage. That’s life in movement. A plant growing, I think of grass, you know. Every two weeks a chap comes out with a lawn mower and cuts it down. Suppose the grass were to say, well, for Pete’s sake, what’s the use?”

http://billmoyers.com/content/ep-6-joseph-campbell-and-the-power-of-myth-masks-of-eternity-audio/