Another year coming to a close and so many blessings to be grateful for. Let me start with you! I am grateful for you, you read my blog, you give me support and I am forever grateful for you. My travels have taken me down new paths and I learned so much and love sharing my new discoveries with you. My camera is a way to help me frame my world in the way I see it. Her true beauty! Our planet is in need of love, if we keep on this path she will no longer be so pretty. I am reading a book Four Fifths a Grizzly by Douglas Chadwick. ( side note: Glacier National Park has a book club and this is one of the books I suggested because when I was in Montana a few people asked me if I read this book yet so I suggested it to our book club, now I am reading it)
Wow what an eye opener. WE all hear about how much our planet needs our help but I had no idea it was this bad. It's never to late to learn and it's never to late to act on what you learn. Douglas Chadwick states in his book a statistic from Living Planet Report produced by the World Wildlife Fund, the Zoological Society of London, and other partner organizations their updated Living Planet report released in 2020, based on counts of 20,811 populations of 4, 392 vertebrate species sampled around the globe , was still more alarming: This new tally showed that by 2016, the decline in wild animal numbers since 1970 had already risen to nearly 70 percent. In other words, of every ten wild animals that roamed the Earth half a century ago, only three stand in their place today. This was a statement take right from his book and when I read this I cried. I believe if we share this information within our circles that we will become aware and maybe make a few changes in our life that will make a difference. I am showing up to a race that has already begun but I can do my part now that I am here. I feel it is better to start where you are then to never start at all.
My New Year Starts:
1) Start a small garden
2) Pick up trash when I walk in the park
3) Create a plan to eliminate plastics in my life ( this is a big one)
4) I just joined Matter of Trust and will be donating hair next year to this organization they makes hair mats to soak up oil spills. :)
This is just a few I will write down here. I will reach deeper into my soul when I am in the woods or my sit spot.
Speaking of Sit Spot make sure you take ample time for yourself this Holiday season to sit with a plant, a tree or your pet for at least 20 minutes and breath. Tune into your 5 senses and notice what you are noticing. Close your eyes and just breath notice the rise and fall of your chest relax slow it down. Listen to your heartbeat as you relax notice if it gets louder? do you feel it in your chest or hear it in your ears? Breath in the air does it taste like Christmas or your favorite holiday flavor? Breath in through your nose what aromas are you smelling? Is there cinnamon and nutmeg in the air? Now with your sense of touch explore the textures around you, first with the palm of you hand then with the back of your hand, what do you notice? Now just breath and with your heart sense what are you noticing?
This is a touch of what you will experience in one of my Guided Walks (Forest Bathing) and as my gift to you this holiday season I would love to gift you a walk with me. My 2023 walk schedule will be up in January. https://www.forestbathingfinder.com/guide-profile/donnamansbart/
You can click the link and register for the walk you DO NOT have to put in your payment information just your name and email. This is my gift to you.
Begin the New Year with self care and mental wellness take care of yourself. When I change my surroundings something magical happens and I am not saying that it has to be a big change even a small change can make an impact. A new plant in your home. A bird feeder outside your window. I would love to hear from you, what small change would you like to do next year?
Here is the link to Glaciers Book Club if you would like to get a copy of the book Four Fifths a Grizzly by Douglas Chadwick and join the conversation. https://glacier.org/glacier-book-club/
Wishing you and your family Happy Holidays!
Peace, Love & Explore
Donna & Al
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