How Nature helped me through my toughest periods.

Last year I was asked to write a series of blogs for publication. As ever, they disappeared down a rabbit hole, having just uncovered them, they are I feel ripe for release so here they are. Written whilst on a cruise around the North Sea and the North Atlantic on the P&O Cruises cruise ship Aurora organised by Laura Childs of Pure Travel. Hence Cruise Texts.

I’ve always known that nature, the countryside, the outdoors, call it what you will has been the best place to sort out whatever problems I perceived I was dealing with.

As a child whenever my world wasn’t the way I wanted it to be I would head out into the Gun Park in Eastry, or the marshes when I lived in Worth, and I’d stay there. At least until I knew I had to be at home, whether for dinner, or bedtime.

These where the times before smart phones and social media. We’d be sent off with a packed lunch and told not to be home until it was time for dinner.

I was never that good in groups or gangs so I’d often spend time alone, but in the countryside I was safe, I could think how I wanted to and didn’t have to worry about misinterpretation or bullying; most of which I think was perceived, rather than received. 

Even when I was drinking large amounts of alcohol, either on my own or in company and I did or said something silly, I would head of for the countryside. I remember one occasion when I think I had drunk too much and begun to doze, and I suspect snore. Someone thought it would be funny to pinch my ear to wake me up.

Waking in pain, I left the pub rapidly and headed off into the countryside. I know my locality well. There I stayed, again until I was content enough in myself to head off back home and my sons’ mother, who was I imagine somewhat worried by then. It was the middle of the night.

Sometimes however this automatic response system can have the opposite effect. One of the incidents that lead to me knowing that drinking had to stop involved taking our dog Scruffy for a walk whilst very inebriated and coming home several hours later without him. By the time I sobered up and woke up the next day, the rest of the household had been out looking for me, and then when I returned, for Scruffy. He returned all by himself sometime later.

I was not popular.  The pull to the countryside needs to be made consciously.

Nowadays, sober and aware, I use the countryside as it was intended. In many ways. Out with the dogs early most mornings.  I love the dawn; it is a magic, life affirming time of day with the sounds of birds waking up and springing into life. I enjoy rabbits in the dawn and the occasional badger. 

I make time to go to the woods, often on my own, although the dogs are fairly well behaved when I just sit, as I do. I have an oak that is my favourite thinking companion. Listens brilliantly and never answers back. Sometimes I just think, sometimes I write, sometimes I like to bang on my drum and meditate. Sometimes I doze.

One of the most amazing things I find is that the migraines I still occasionally get are best reduced in time and magnitude if I can get out to that tree.

Wonderful Duir.

Often as I enter the woods, I can feel the worries I carry, and let’s face it we all do, just start to slip away.  My load just lightens.

There’s an energy there too, we just have to be aware and remember.

Theres magic there for all of us.

How has nature helped me through my toughest periods?

Just by being there. It’s always there. I am aware that the greatest asset for healing is right on our doorstep.

We all simply need to be aware our greatest asset for healing is right on our doorstep.

Like anything, just use her, don’t abuse her.

Simon Pollard                July 2024