Beauty, simplicity and nature: a journey of reconnection

I just returned from a 10-day trip to the UK with my 16-year-old son. I feel a bit tired physically, but also mentally, emotionally and spiritually recharged (in the sense of connection to something bigger than oneself and to a reason for being).

Not working for a few days gave me a mental break that allowed me to take some distance and gain clarity. Clarity about what is important, what I have accomplished and what I want to pursue. 

This road trip through the countryside and mountains where we camped and hiked took us out of our usual comfort and allowed us to appreciate more the comforts of home on the way back.

Simplicity, presence and beauty

I love this kind of trip where we live simply, in harmony with nature and in tune with our true needs, our natural rhythms. It reconnects me to the fact that we can live happily and healthily with little as long as it is natural, beautiful and good for our body as well as our head and our heart. We are also more at peace and happy in a natural context and without time pressure. 

And I wonder: what if it were possible to create a way of life or rather a culture where this is possible for everyone, on a daily basis?

While we were on a slightly wilder beach, but near a pretty English village, my son pointed out to me how nature is not just beautiful to look at with the eyes and that people in general seem to miss part of the experience. As I shared this reflection, my son was connected to nature with his whole being, present in his body and listening to all his senses. 

To appreciate the benefits of nature, one must dare to walk barefoot in the water and sand, to expose his skin to the wind, rain and heat of the sun, to breathe in the smell of the sea and the forest, to listen to the birds singing. 

Beauty and nature are essential to the well-being of our soul. Contact with animals also reconnects us to our essence which is nature. It is soothing to walk in the fields and mountains surrounded by sheep, cows and horses and to take the time to look at them and talk to them.  

Openness, adaptation and learning

My son and I worked on our ability to remain open to the unknown, to welcome the unexpected and to adapt. We didn't make any reservations, we followed our inspiration of the moment and made beautiful discoveries. We also experienced some challenges, including a tent pole that broke at 7pm in the evening and forced us to find another place to sleep at the last minute (and abandon a site with a majestic panorama!). But each time, the stress caused temporarily led to learnings and great opportunities that would have been otherwise missed.

The best part of this whole trip was all the moments of exchange and shared experiences with my son. We took our time. We got to know each other better. We developed our communication and our ability to collaborate. My son also learned a lot about the art of living: cooking, setting up a camp, orienting himself, organizing himself, choosing the right foods, hiking carefully in the mountains.  

Effort, play and walking

We found that it was the effort and the hard times that made the rest and comfort so enjoyable. A good hot meal is much more satisfying after a few hours of hiking up a mountain!

We took time to contemplate the beauty of the place, to play and to laugh. I realized how much we've lost the art of letting go and just having fun in our busy lives.

I rediscovered the pleasure and benefits of walking. We walked a lot and did more intense efforts on occasion. It did my body and my head a world of good. I think that both active and inactive people underestimate walking: either we train too hard too often or we don't move enough. 

Cooking for better nutrition

Few people seem to know or enjoy cooking while traveling (and I think, in their lives in general). My son enjoyed cooked meals more than ready-made meals or restaurants. Preparing our own food and meals rather than eating industrial or commercial foods (often loaded with sugar and fat with little or no vegetables or fruit) helps us make healthier choices and engages all of our senses in the experience. 

I am aware that many restaurants offer healthy and tasty food in inspiring atmospheres, but this is not the norm. The one restaurant we chose to go to was a traditional Indian kitchen. Dishes prepared with love and skill in a historic and magical place in Edinburgh. 

I discovered what a "food desert" is. In a small town where we slept en route between two beautiful places, none of the grocery stores had fresh fruits or vegetables or if they did, they were questionable. Only packaged or frozen processed foods full of sugar and bad fats. We had a hard time finding healthy food to cook. It saddened me to realize that many people live in these conditions.

Our environment influences our choices and our energy

My son found that it is possible to maintain a healthy routine even while traveling, but that some environments are more conducive to feeling good, making the right choices, and respecting your needs. We preferred wilderness and villages to cities except for a few exceptional urban places where nature, art and beauty were present.

We stayed in beautiful places (picturesque villages and national parks) where people were serene, welcoming and seemed happy. We also experienced places (mostly cities) that drained us by the lack of beauty, the noise, the low vibe of stressed, tired, unwell people. The posture, expression and attitude of the people indicated a physical as well as mental and emotional malaise. After a few minutes, our energy frequency was lowered.

In big cities, we noticed that the noise, the amount of people and cars driving around, the visual stimuli of shops and advertisements made us feel more agitated and less centered. The result: we were less patient, felt more like consuming, were less attentive to each other and became tired in a short time. We felt like eating when we weren't hungry, as if to soothe an unhappiness. As my son said so well once on the hill walking in the quiet away from the city: "Phew! It's better here. I couldn't hear myself think anymore."

Reconnecting with my mission

The vibe of the place is important for making healthy choices and feeling good. And that vibe in my opinion is directly related to the degree to which people and lifestyles are aligned with their nature and nature. 

Beauty, simplicity and nature uplift the soul. The fake, the ugly, the neglected as well as the excess and the false weigh us down, drain us of our vitality. Presence and authentic connection to others nourish us, while distractions and indifference empty us.

This journey reinforced my desire to help leaders and their teams regain their vitality, become more present and aware, and be more Alive Aware Daring, and to help transform our ways of working and living (our systems) so that they are healthy by default. Live more in harmony with our nature and nature so that living healthily and thriving is easier and "normal". 

Living simply and more naturally does not require much and can bring much. It is not a matter of giving up all comfort, living in misery or having no more pleasure. 

Individually, all it takes is more movement, nutritious food, good sleep, regular rest, play, laughter and authentic connection to others and nature. Less urgency and more appreciation of the moment, whether during effort or rest.

Collectively, we need to create environments and develop collective practices in alignment with what nourishes us and helps us thrive. This includes living more naturally with respect for the living and focusing on self-development rather than material development.

Our wellbeing goes through the wellbeing of others and of nature. 

Wellness is our natural state.

Original version written in French and translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)