We are lucky to live on Maui for so many reasons, one of which is the weather. While many places in the country are only recently emerging from snow-covered everything, we get to enjoy what our local weather forecaster calls “the best weather on the planet.”
One of the challenges to such idyllic weather is that we can start to take our access to nature for granted. Nature has much to teach us if we are willing to listen. It does take some paying attention and viewing it with a different mindset.
Nature models growth, cycles, and is stunning in demonstrating a kind of fierce resilience. Being intentional about witnessing nature in this way can be deeply informative for both children and adults.
Spend some time looking at the ocean in all of its states. Enjoy the calm days, when the light sparkles on the still surface and the water laps lazily on the shore. Contrast that by visiting the North shore in the Winter or the South shore during Summer swells and watch the giant waves crash to shore. Talk with your kids about how the different ocean states make them feel and compare those states to your own emotional experience.
When you go out into nature, look for items that you can bring into your home as a reminder of the larger cycles at play in the world. You might see a tree that has flowers, fruit, and dried seed pods. Get curious about each of these aspects of the tree and how the cycles of the tree are expressed through each stage. You might even bring some of each into your own home. Look for shells at the beach and wonder at how a tiny creature may have lived its life inside that shell, moving about while carrying its home on its back. Similarly, driftwood has a story of how it got to be so smooth.
A fun way to bring nature into your home is to bring living plants inside. An easy way to do this is to visit a nursery near you and find some plants that have similar water and light needs. Orchids and ferns can be put together in a large vessel, and if watered just enough, but not too much, will last for months in the home. One tip for caring for orchids is to add a couple of ice cubes every few days. The melting ice allows the orchid’s roots to soak up just the right amount of moisture.
While enjoying the beautiful places and spaces that surround us on our island home is lovely, we can personalize our experience of nature. By coming into a closer relationship with the forces and cycles of nature, we gain more perspective both for ourselves and for our kids in doing the same.
