Settling on surrender

Nine months living here in our new house and only last weekend did I explore the bushland reserve at the end of our street. Despite walking together often, for some reason I just hadn't ventured that far. Miss three had been exploring there a few times before though with her Dad, and so she happily led the way to "the forest".

And although homes are still close by, there was a coolness and a calm that came with being surrounded by trees, bush and scrub and walking with mud, twigs and stones underfoot.

I kept looking through the tree branches at the sky peeking through. Sometimes a clouded white, other times the brightest blue tainted with spots of stormy grey. It was as though the sky wasn't sure how it was feeling. And neither was I actually. A part of me just wanted to rest and be left alone, a part of felt a little run-down, and another part of me wanted to be busy and move ahead and on to the next thing on my to-do list. I was feeling exhausted, disorganised and a tad overwhelmed.

But I settled on surrendering to the moment, heading outdoors and letting miss three lead our way. I decided not to check the time as we went or to think about what needed to be done or where we soon needed to be.

We walked in circles, backtracked and then ran paces ahead. Looking to the sky together, we wondered about where the drifting clouds were headed. We paused to listen to the birds singing, to collect twigs and look for the brightest shades of green and new life in the bush.

In letting my little one set the pace, I found myself slowing down, letting go and surrendering to the moment, and embracing her curiosity. In those moments of just us, nature and that winter sky, my head stopped spinning. And I saw her and me and us together much clearer than before.

xx

Do you like to walk in nature? Does it bring you clarity? And do you {like me} find you sometimes need a reminder to surrender, let go and just be?

These Autumn days

 

 

 

 

 

Farewell Autumn.
I already miss you.  
 

Your crisp mornings         
and your mesmerising colours.    

Watching the trees transform,

leaves dance in the wind and
the way you perform change with grace. 

I'll miss sunset walks
and bright-blue cloudless skies

on the chilliest of days.    

xx

{I've loved this Autumn and its lessons in change, its invitation to step into nature and slow me down. These photos represent the little moments of beauty I've discovered and captured on walks with my girls. I'll miss the gorgeous Autumn days we've spent outdoors - they've felt wondrous in so many ways. Today it felt just like Autumn, but tonight Winter has definitely arrived. Elisa x}

 

What season do you love most? Will you miss Autumn? x

Finding stillness in nature

As the weather cools down here, I feel more and more drawn to the outdoors.

Normally the cold would draw me indoors, but I've been tuning in to this calling and heading outside more than ever this past fortnight.

Mornings see me stop for a minute {or three} of stillness as I step outside and look with wonder to the sky. This morning ritual {a mini-meditation} is steeped in gratitude - giving thanks and welcoming a new day before it has truly begun.

Weekends have seen our little family explore nature together, as we live and love our way through the list.

Miss three and I walked through bush on our adventure yesterday. At first she held my hand tight, looking up at glimpses of the sky through the tall trees. Then she began to run ahead and twist and turn in excitement: "It's a real forest mummy, and so many ways we can go!"

Earlier in the week {on a rare solo outing} I stopped my car at the edge of a tree plantation and stood among the trees alone, witnessing the sunlight dancing through the branches and noticing the stillness and gentle breeze brushing through the leaves.

In the stillness, I gave thanks that I allowed myself ten minutes to just be. In the silence, I was reminded how stepping into nature can nurture us, bring much-needed clarity and invite us to relax, recharge and reconnect.

xx

{This week I'm grateful for nature, and the abundance that is close by. For clarity, dreams and taking chances. I've been posting weekly on gratitude for more than 52 weeks now - somehow that little milestone passed a few weeks back without me noticing til now. What an amazing journey it's been! Elisa x}

~ Linking with Maxabella's 52 Weeks of Grateful and Rachel's Finding Joy x