Nothing can minimize problems better than enjoying the calm, peaceful and quiet, yet chatty and sometimes noisy solitude. Simple things in nature, like the chirping of birds, the smell of honeysuckle or freshly mown lawns and the visions of watching wildlife wander around the yard is the best remedy there is for relaxing after a stressful or hectic day. I am very fortunate to live in area with a back yard that offers all of these pleasures.
Picture a back yard with the permeter marked by towering evergreens and silver maple trees on one side, honeysuckle, wild rose bushes and rose of Sharon brush on the other side and giant oak and ash trees mixed in a tangled thicket of brush, bushy wild raspberry and huckleberry and witch hazel completing the borders of the lawn. This is my private safe haven that I enjoy every day for an hour when no one else is home. After coming home from work, I put on loose shorts and an old tattered t shirt, grab the frozen coke that I had put in the freezer in the morning and head to my personal lounge chair in my own garden of Eden. Reclining in the chair, I gaze at the blue cloudless sky and listen quiet cacophony. It is a peaceful yet noisy silence.
It is void of human created sounds like phone notifications, traffic noise and voices. A peaceful silence, yet it isn’t silent. The sounds of birds chirping in the trees, the wind gently blowing, rustling the leaves on the trees and the sound of a woodpecker attacking the hardwood of a tree in search of his next meal fill the air. Even the buzzing of flies is a pleasant sound as I unwind from the day. Each day, as I sit in my chair, I feel my sense of hearing is heightened three fold from normal as I enjoy the sounds of nature in my back yard. Sitting under the umbrella of my sometimes confident, the towering red oak tree that had been planted by my grandmother over 50 years ago, I gazed at the gnarled branches above me that clutched the leaves like suspended giant green raindrops.
These suspended raindrops shaded me from baking in the bright warm sunshine and worked in concert with the breeze to create the perfect temperature. From my position next to the house, I could see the squirrels racing after each other, scurrying up and down the trees in a kamikaze like randomness. My favorite doe wandered through the brush around the edge of the trees as she headed to her watering spot in the neighbor’s yard. Some days, several deer were with her, including an 8 point buck who would majestically lead the pack on the days he chose to join them. My brain would feel in awe with the magnificent sites of all the wildlife. Watching the animals move about freely and uninhibited had a calming effect on me and I could feel the tension draining from my body.
The innocence and carefree attitude of the animals was very relaxing. As the breeze continued to blow gently, it brought whiffs of flowery smells from the lilac bushes and the honeysuckle to my attention. The fresh air, tainted only by the flowery aromas and untouched by manmade toxins like gasoline, oil and smoke filled my nostrils and completed the nature created senses massage. Sitting in my backyard, enjoying the entertaining and awe inspiring scenery, listening to the Mother Nature’s concerto and viewing the unassuming wildlife is better than any manmade anti depressant, or self medicating drug or alcohol use.
