Autumn is the perfect time of year to enjoy nature. The air is crisper, leaves are changing colors, and there is a sense of a new beginning. October is the perfect month to view the yellow, reds, and oranges among the trees. Here in Western Pennsylvania one of the best places to view nature is up at Ohiopyle National Park. There are waterfalls, hiking, biking, horse trails, and look out points. Walking in the middle of nature gives a sense of a new life or new beginning to something. But the question is; How often fo we actually notice nature, let alone be in it?

In Henry David Thoreau’s “Walden”, he stresses living a simple life. One that isn’t focused on luxuries of life, but on the things around us such as nature and knowledge. He felt the way to appreciate the fine things in life, a person needs to spend time in nature and enjoy the natural effect it has on you. “We must learn to reawaken and keep ourselves awake.” Thoreau felt people need to re-awaken ourselves, to readjust our focus so we could notice the simple things like the changing of the leaves. Thoreau thought people needed to reawaken to the beauty in a tree, flower, or the sky, and we need to keep our eye open and notice they are all around. We need to pay more attention to the world around us; not our own little worlds.

"In the woods, we return to reason and faith. There I feel that nothing can befal me in life – no disgrace, no calamity (leaving me my eyes) which nature cannot repair.” Ralph Waldo Emerson finds that being in nature can heal anything and nothing can harm you once in nature. Nature can be a cure for stress, help clear sinuses, even depression. You also have a sense of safety while in the midst of nature. Emerson also states that a person becomes closer to God and sees as God sees. His theory of the ‘transparent eyeball” revolves around that feeling of being in the presence of something bigger. A person gets the feel that they are just a small portion of a bigger design. To Emerson nature is the basis of all life. Nature allows a person to forget their worries and stress in life. Sitting on a rock and listening to the birds chirp or the flow of the stream leaves one with a breath of invigoration. Just one day in nature can have the same effect as a week long vacation. A small hike could allow you to see wildlife in it’s purest form.

Even the Bible talks about taking notice of nature and it’s beauty. In Psalms 19, David refers to the skies being proof that God exists. Everything in nature is a ign of God’s divine craftsmanship. According to David, nature displays God’s infinite powers, and our own finiteness – our own vulnerability. In today’s society, people are too worried about their busy lives that they don’t notice the nature all around, let alone take a Saturday and hike to a rock and sit on it. People are too focused on obtaining certain luxuries they won’t step out into that cool air and learn what nature has to teach them. Most people don’t even stop and admire the beauty in the flowers around. It’s been a part of our lives for so long that, it just fades into the background.

Take the time out of your busy schedule and take a hike in the woods or a nation park like Ohiopyle. Next time it rains, go out and dance in it, I promise you will not melt. No matter how small or how great the interaction is; nature makes life more bearable. Go out and experience what poets, writers, and artists are talking about

– Stop and smell the roses –