7 Ways to Connect with Nature this Year (2024 REPLAY)

Note: This transcript was created by AI and has not been checked by a human. Please forgive any errors. 

Michelle Fullner  0:00  
Hi, happy new year! My kids went back to school yesterday, and I'm busy working on the next full episode for next week. But before that comes out, I wanted to take a minute to bump this episode from all the way back at the beginning of last year to the top of your podcast feed, because for one thing, it's worth another listen in the new year. But for another, this episode has a great story. So I originally posted this on January 1 2023. And a few weeks later, toward the end of January, I got an email from a listener. And even though I've never gotten a particularly mean or awful message from a listener, there's no subject line on the emails that come through my website, they just say message from this person via your website contact form. So I always have this moment of apprehension that maybe the person is emailing because I got something wrong in an episode or accidentally said something with a double meaning I wasn't aware of or that I've finally and irrevocably revealed my own ignorance and their writing to let me know that no one will be listening anymore. And I have to go get a real job, you know, just normal email anxiety. So I had this message from a listener in my inbox, and I hesitated for a half a second, and then I opened it. And it was not at all horrible, but was actually so much better than I could have possibly imagined. Because instead of the amorphous shadow of rejection that I thought might be lurking in my inbox, I found a message from an artist and the artist Kate Rutter, had listened to this New Year's episode a couple of weeks earlier, and created a sketch note of everything I talked about in the episode. So she had basically illustrated and hand lettered lines from the episode. The whole thing was a big beautiful sun radiating notes and many illustrations of things that I had said in the episode. Now, this is an incredible gift to give a podcaster because podcasting isn't like social media, where it's really easy for people to like and comment and offer instant validation, people have to go out of their way to track down my website contact form or to leave a review or find my social media and send me a message. So it means a lot to me each time someone does this. And what Kate gave me really with this art was the gift of deep listening and the gift of feeling heard and understood. I was very moved by this. And so when she reached out to ask if she could share the image on social media, I couldn't say yes fast enough, and asked if I could share it, too. She agreed, and I posted it soon after. I'll post that again soon, so it's easier to find. But then the story gets even better for everyone listening because Kate recently completed her California naturalist certification and for her capstone project, she took that sketch note she had created and adapted it into a zine or mini magazine, complete with tools for tracking each of the seven ways of connecting with nature throughout the year. It's beautiful. It's printable in full color, and it's available for free. On the website of the wild wonder Foundation, which is one of my favorite nonprofits. You can find the zine at Wild wonder.or under the digital downloads in their store. And I'll also link it in the show notes to make it a little easier to find. So definitely check that out because the zine is a great companion to this episode. And while January is a great time of year to start tracking these connections, Kate designed it to be started at any time of the year. So no worries if you're listening in like October. You can also see more of Kate's work on Instagram at Kate Rutter. And thank you, Kate, so much for creating this and for sharing it with all of us. And while I'm here I wanted to tell you that I've just launched a project that I'm very excited about. It's a limited run set of California nature themed Valentine's featuring art from six different artists who have all been or are about to be guests on Golden State naturalist. The lineup includes John Muir laws Jane Kim Robin Lee Carlson, Marni filling crystal Hickman and the artists naturalist and eco philosopher whose episode is coming up next OB Kaufmann you can find the complete set of six Valentine's at love dot Golden State naturalist.com. And I wasn't sure how many prints so I didn't order a ton of these and they're going away after Valentine's Day, probably never to return. So don't sleep on this. All of the artists contributed beautiful work and the set is both gorgeous and funny. Also, buying a set of these cards does two good things. One you support your local indie podcaster that's me and to you support California's wild places because 10% of the profit from these cards goes directly to Cal wild the only statewide organization dedicated solely to protecting and restoring the wild places and native biodiversity of California's public lands. Patrons of Golden State naturalist get 10% off of these cards, and you can find the discount code for that at patreon.com/michelle Fullner. I'll put all those links I just mentioned in the show notes. But now let's get to the episode from one year ago. Here's my one and only solo episode ever so far, seven ways to connect with nature this year.

Michelle Fullner  0:00  
Hello, and welcome to Golden State naturalist, a podcast for anyone who wants to spend more time outdoors this year, whether that's part of a New Year's resolution, or maybe a vision board or just an intention that you're setting for yourself to give yourself and the planet both some love by connecting more deeply this year. I'm Michelle Fullner. And I wanted to drop in for the new year because I know a lot of us are making an effort to spend more time outside connecting with the natural world this year. And I wanted to share some of my favorite ideas about how to do just that. So this one is a bonus episode just because I like you. And I thought it would be fun to try something a little different, it's going to be a shorter one with no guests. And we'll be back to the usual format with a full episode and an incredible guest in the middle of January. That episode is going to feature literally one of my favorite conversations I've ever had with a human. So make sure you're subscribed so you don't miss it. But for this episode, I want to focus in on a variety of ways each of us can deepen our connection with the natural world. And to do that, I want to start us out by thinking about the word ecology, which the Ecological Society of America defines as the study of the relationships between living organisms, including humans, and their physical environment. So how do plants animals, bacteria, fungi, and us? How do all of those things relate to each other and their environments? And you're probably like, Michelle, what does this have to do with an episode about connecting with nature this year, but I think this definition of ecology has everything to do with connecting with nature, because to me, deepening that connection is all about forming a relationship with the living things and the physical environment around us. It's also about recognizing that we are a part of the natural world a part of that definition of ecology, however, separate our houses and cars and technology may make us feel so today's episode is going to be about how each of us can get in touch with the ecosystems where we live in ways that will help both ourselves and the planet Thrive far into the future. My hope is that there's something on this list for everyone, regardless of where you live your income level, or your physical ability, because the outdoors really is for everyone. And I hope you personally can gain some inspiration here that can be worked into your everyday life this year and beyond. So without further ado, seven ways to connect with nature this year.

The first way I think is really powerful to connect yourself with the natural world is to use all of your senses. So this is like the idea of mindfulness, bringing your awareness to the present moment to your location, I think a lot of the time, we can get caught up thinking about what's on our to do list or something somebody said to us the other day, or really just all of those background things that are going on in our heads all of the time. So it can be a real struggle to stay in the present moment. And there's this really cool mindfulness exercise that you might want to try out next time you're outdoors, whether that's in your backyard, or walking down your street or out on a hike somewhere or a backpacking trip, whatever it is for you. So this is called the five senses exercise. And it is so helpful to me. So first, you look around and you notice five things you can see, then you put yourself fully inside of your body and you notice four things you can feel. So maybe you're reaching out and you're touching the grass or a leaf or the rough bark of a tree. Next, you focus in on the sounds around you. So three things you can hear than two things you can smell, and one you can taste which of course, be safe with that one. Make sure you know what you're putting in your mouth if you do decide to take something out in the wilderness, but there are a lot of things that you can taste and put in your mouth. So just know a little bit about the plants around you. And you'll be alright with that one. One note here is if you don't have any of these senses available to you, like I lost my sense of smell for almost two years because of COVID. And it's it's coming back, but it's kind of weird. So if one of these senses isn't accessible to you, maybe swap it out for doing a couple more items from the other senses that you do have available to you. And I really encourage you to try to make this a habit when you start your time outdoors. Whether that's on a busy street or in a secluded forest or maybe kayaking on a BEAUTIFUL PRISTINE lake somewhere if it becomes a habit you're going to find yourself so much more present all the time. I read recently that habits have to be rewarding in themselves in the habit itself for it to stick willpower alone isn't going to cut it. So this habit will take some practice but it is so rewarding number to read a book. I know you're like Michelle, you're an English teacher. Of course you're gonna say that and it's true but It's so powerful reading a book is perfect for those days. Like right now in Sacramento, we're having an atmospheric river. And in the summer we have these intense heat waves and smoke days where it's just really challenging to get outside. Or maybe you're just super busy. But books are there for you. They show you what to look for when you do return to the outdoors, and they structure your whole way of thinking about the natural world. I've mentioned a whole bunch of my favorite books on this podcast before I'll run down a quick list that are going to be repeats. If you've been listening for a while, like the California feel that list by Obie Kaufman secrets of the oak woodlands by Marian child, the cold Canyon fire journals by Robin Lee Carlson, I'm currently reading attending the wild by MCAT Anderson, it's huge, and it's going to take me a long time to get through, but there's a ton of information so I'm just chipping away at it. All of these books are either by hayday books or the University of California Press. So if you want some inspiration on what kind of nature books to read, definitely check both of those out then if you like audiobooks, like I do, I find that so much easier to fit in, definitely check out braiding sweetgrass, which I've recommended probably 20 times on this podcast already by Robin wall Kimmerer absolutely worth it. Beautiful reading voice, she's so soothing and so insightful and has completely shifted my whole way of thinking about the natural world. So I love that. And the final book I'm going to recommend here leads into the next topic. So it's the laws guide to nature drawing and journaling by John Muir laws, because the next topic is get yourself a nature journal and use it. That's number three, nature journaling, I know some people are going to automatically kind of shut down on this and think I'm not an artist, I don't draw, I don't paint. But just remember that making pretty pictures is not the point of nature journaling. The point is teaching yourself to pay attention, teaching yourself to look closely teaching yourself to examine and filtering things through the right parts of your brain as they go in your eyes and out your hand. You don't need to spend a lot of money to get started on this. In fact, I really advise not spending a lot of money because if you have notebooks and things that are too nice, in you're worried about keeping them all beautiful and perfect, you might just not draw or paint at all, I actually love just taking some of my kids crayons and just a random piece of paper and doodling on that and doing little drawings because I don't feel intimidated about starting when I'm using materials that you know remind me of having fun drawing when I was a kid can be great, though, to have a notebook to take with you out into the field. And just some basic materials to take with you just like a pencil and some blank paper is great. And now it'd be an awesome time to get started on that and kind of start looking around, because there's going to be more information coming at you really soon from this. So that's a little hint about the next episode number four on our list of ways to connect with the natural world is engage in citizen or community science projects. So the definition of citizen science is the collection and analysis of data relating to the natural world by members of the general public, typically as part of a collaborative project with professional scientists. So you'll notice I use two words there citizen science and community science, the word choice is I think, in the process of maybe undergoing an update, because citizen science can sound a little exclusive to people who are citizens of a particular place where we really want to involve everybody from a community regardless of what their citizens statuses, so everybody's part of the community. And so you'll hear a lot of people shifting to community science. But if you want to Google it, you might still do well to Google citizen science. Because there's a lot of projects out there under that name, you can also go to citizen science.gov for a ton of really cool ideas and projects that are available that you can start helping out with apps like I naturalist are fantastic for this and things like the city nature challenge, which starts in April. And it's really just going outdoors and making as many observations about living things or evidence of life as possible submitting them. And it's just a huge data collection tool for scientists to use. And everybody can participate in that. It's really cool. I find that for some people, it's really nice to have a purpose to be outside. And it's also a way to help inform scientists at the same time and they can use that information to make the most impactful conservation and restoration projects. So it's a really great way to start to give back to the natural world. Number five is another great way to give back and that is help with a restoration project. If you've ever spent a day gardening, you know how powerful it can be to get your hands in the dirt, the sense of pride at seeing your little plants pop up the satisfied exhaustion, the quality of that shower at the end of the day. It feels so good to invest in something that you can then watch grow. And with restoration projects. Often it's doing things like planting native plants that provide habitat for so many critters, insects and birds and reptiles and all kinds of animals and We can then watch these animals start to return after a restoration project. So that kind of goes back to that relationship idea where we're continually returning back to a place and investing in it and watching it grow. The other thing about relationships, of course, is that they go both ways the earth gives us literally everything, there's not a single thing that we have that is not ultimately from the earth, unless I guess the materials came from like an asteroid, which maybe you could argue then became part of the earth. But anyway, it gives us so much it gives us life, it gives us our ability to be conscious and to enjoy things, and a place to live and so so, so much. So I find restoration projects to be a way to give back that feels really meaningful. And it makes that relationship into a two way street, which is really satisfying. Number six, build a nature community. It doesn't matter if you're an introvert or an extrovert, finding a handful of nature loving friends is so incredibly enriching. Each time I've been able to get together with other people who love the natural world, the ideas start flying, the observations get sharper, I learned so much. And I walk away feeling like part of something bigger than myself. And that's coming from someone who needs a lot of alone time to recharge, and be okay and function normally. So I think this applies to everyone. You can meet people in a lot of different ways, like going to conferences, or events, or by helping out with those community science projects are restoration projects I just mentioned. And those last two are especially great for the interests of the group, because I know it's really nice sometimes to have like a task to work on while you're meeting new people because it takes the pressure off of forming those relationships and allows you to engage in meaningful work together side by side. But really the bottom line with this one is that we're stronger together, we can do more together, build each other up, give each other ideas and influence more people to make a difference as well. I've learned so much from naturalist and nature podcasters that I've had the privilege of meeting and spending time with also as a little side note to my Patreon community, because spending time with them has been so incredibly rewarding. They're just a very fun and inspiring group. And if you're in that community, I'm going to be scheduling another ama soon, so stick around for that. And that reminds me that online communities can also be fantastic places to form connections with like minded individuals, groups, like the Native Plant Society, Facebook group, or the nature journaling Facebook group, those give me so much hope. And sometimes online groups will even do things like organize hikes or volunteer opportunities so that the members can connect in person as well. Having a community deepens our connection to the natural world. So I really encourage you to try that out. And finally, number seven, just slow down. Last May, I was out hiking at a very popular spot in the Sacramento Valley where I live and I stopped by a little pond to take a look around and see what was there. And when I looked down, the ground was covered in these teeny tiny critters no bigger than pencil erasers that hopped away from me every time I took a step closer towards the pond. I was astonished I thought they might be frogs. But I learned later they were a little Western toadlets In they were the cutest little guys. And so I very carefully sat down at the edge of the pond and watch them for a super long time. And while I was there, hummingbirds and acorn woodpeckers started swooping around in the trees next to where I sat. And while I was there, no one else so much is slowed down at the side of the pond until I actually flagged down a dad with his son because I thought they might like to see the little toadlets and they came over and they also just were awestruck checking these little guys out. I know it can be tempting to go fast. And sometimes it's good because it feels good to get your heart pumping and your legs moving and get a good little workout. But don't forget to also slow down and look around. Just stop every once in a while. Go back through the steps from number one on this list about using your five senses. Bring a hand lens with you and look at some lichen up close feel the waxy texture of a Blue Oak Leaf, peel off your socks and stick your feet in a freezing cold mountain stream. Worry about how those socks are going back on leader pack a lunch and lots of extra water with you so you don't have to hurry home relationships can't be developed without time. But that's okay, embrace it. Whatever you put into it, it'll pay you back tenfold. Thank you so much for hanging out with me today and listening to this experimental solo episode. I hope you liked it. It was super fun to make and I hope that some of the items from this list will help deepen your relationship with and love for the natural world this year. If you have other ideas about ways to connect with nature, I would love to hear from you send me a message on Instagram at Golden State naturalist or via my website www dot Golden State naturalist.com I know I couldn't cover everything And I'd love to hear what I missed and try out some of your ideas this year as well. If you feel like you got something out of this episode today, or any of the previous episodes of this podcast, I hope you'll think about becoming a patron you can join for as little as $4 a month. And that helps me so much as an independent podcaster. There are a lot of little expenses that go along with making a podcast, especially since I travel for most of my episodes, and I go out into the field and record to try to bring you into those wild places. So supporting network does a ton in allowing the show to continue being made. Also, I mentioned earlier, I'm going to be doing another ama soon. So I would love to see you there. I have a great time connecting with all the folks on Patreon. It is such a great community, you can find me on there at www.patreon.com/michelle Fullner. That's Michelle with two L's and Fullner is fu ll en er something from my week is that I've had my kids both home over the holidays. And they're three and five years old now, which I know I've mentioned before, but it's really cool because they're getting to an age where they're starting to be able to play together for these long, extended periods of time. And the other day, my husband and I had like an hour to just like have a conversation as grownups. I mean, things did deteriorate and turn into screaming and fighting and we did have to go outside and jump in puddles to make everything better, but that was also cool. Anyway,

much love to you. Thank you for sticking around. I will see you on the next full episode of Golden State naturalist. But

the song is called I don't know buy grapes and you can find a link to that song and the Creative Commons license in the show notes

Transcribed by https://otter.ai