While working on the sequel to The Stillness of the Living Forest I began to worry about the validity of the sit spot session, the hour long nature observation that had been the foundation of my journey to a deep nature connection. I knew that it worked for me, but would it work for others as well? To address my concerns I decided to conduct what I called shared sit spots. After recruiting individuals willing and able to join…
Silent Walking, one of the latest hot topics to take the internet by storm, sure sounded good to me. I love walking and try to get out almost every day for a walk or better yet a long hike. And, with my inclination towards introversion, I find intervals of silence rejuvenating. I learned that the Silent Walking trend started with a June 2023 Tik Tok post by content creator Mady Maio. She was directed by her dietician to walk 30…
Prologue John It’s a different story taking another person to an early morning sit spot. On my own, I get there when I get there. But with a guest there is a schedule, in this case a 6:15 a.m. meet up so I needed to get up at 5:15. Worried about being on time I woke up during a night of restless sleep to check the time. I noticed other concerns winding in and out of my dream. How much…
The woods are lovely, dark, and deep, But I have promises to keep, Robert Frost Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening Prologue I made my promise suddenly at the end of an hour long sit spot on a windy, bitterly cold January afternoon. Surrounded by brown and gray, dead and dormant winter trees I felt a need to see the symmetry of the seasons. I promised to return during the first week of June when the forest was reborn,…