I live near the water and the view is pretty good. I love seeing the waves, especially during a storm.
Recently, I went to Sydney for a wedding and for the first time in my life, I really explored Darling Harbour. Prior to this, growing up in Melbourne, I was persuaded to wipe Sydney as a rival, that’s it! But this time, I found myself experiencing the city with an open mind.
We caught a public bus from Watsons Bay back to Darling Harbour, a 50 odd-minute journey. Virtually the whole trip provided views of the harbour. All rivalry aside, it was splendid. At one stage, my brother Bruce exclaimed, “The views are incredible, but you’d grow tired of them. To really enjoy this place, the water, you need to interact with it.” Now granted, Bruce is a mad fisherman, so he was always going to say that. Still, it really made me think, how much do we really “interact” with our environment, particularly the outdoors?
It made me think, because Atticus Health (through our healthy energy drink e15) sponsors an eSports team, Kanga. All the sophistication of computer games these days is so intense, that the landscapes and the designs are really very compelling and “realistic”. They’re exciting, in fact, so much so, that they perhaps even challenge the real world for our attention. Indeed, for teenagers, particularly boys, this is true.
And I realised something, engaging and interacting with the world around you, particularly the natural world, is a distinctly different experience than looking at it. Running or walking on a beach, picking up shells – these are different experiences than looking at the beach from a café, as pleasant no doubt as that is.
For me, this comes to the fore when planting a plant, especially a tree. I’ve always loved to plant trees. To see something small and watch it develop, nurturing it along the way, has added something to my experience of life. “From little things, big things grow.” Particularly though, at the time of digging a hole, taking a plant out of a pot and placing it in position, bedding down the soil and watering it in. Getting my hands dirty. It takes me somewhere.
We often hear about how stepping into nature is “good for the soul” for mental health. I think that experience is potentially even more powerful when we directly interact with it. For both mental and physical health. Feel the leaves of a tree between our fingers, sand between our toes, grass on our back and waves on our face. Inhale the fragrance of a lemon gum. Walk, run, sit, swim. Breathe.
So, spring in Australia is approaching, and I’d say let’s not waste or take for granted what is a beautiful environment most of us are at liberty to enjoy. And more than just looking at it from afar or behind a window, if you can, take a moment to fully immerse yourself in it, and know that there’s nothing virtual about it. It’s real. And give children, where you can, every opportunity to experience the same.
