Putting Yourself in the Way of Beauty: The Healing Power of a Rare January Visitor.
I’ve been on leave this week, though it’s not exactly been as planned. The weather has been pretty shite and I’ve injured my ribs and shoulder. This afternoon I decided to watch a film. It’s not often I do this when I’m on my own. I was flicking through streaming platforms and I stumbled across a film called Wild.
I dived right in, no googling, trailers, or reviews. I watched as Cheryl Strayed (played by Reese Witherspoon) set off on a 1,100-mile trek along the Pacific Crest Trail. She was bereaved, lost, and spectacularly under-prepared. A true story based on the memoir of the real-life Cheryl Stayed. One line from the film stayed with me:
"There’s a sunrise and a sunset every day, and it’s up to you to choose to be there for it. You can put yourself in the way of beauty."
I talk a lot about the therapeutic benefits of being outdoors. If I’m honest, it can sometimes be difficult to practice what I preach. On January days like we’ve had this week, it’s a struggle to make the choice to be outside. But remembering that it is a choice is part of the process. Watching Wild reminded me of this.
Earlier this week, when my shoulder was being more co-operative, I made this choice. I chose to ‘put myself in the way of beauty’ by seeking out a particular bird that I had heard was in the area.
The Great Grey Shrike
The Great Grey Shrike is a rare winter visitor to these shores. Known as the ‘butcher bird,’ they are unusual in the fact they are a predatory songbird. They are highly territorial and usually seen alone, hovering above farmland, scouting for small vertebrates. They have the remarkable (if slightly macabre) habit of impaling their prey on thorns to store in a ‘larder’ for later.
Walking along a muddy footpath adjacent to a hedgerow, I wasn’t sure if my gambit would pay off. When I saw some more seasoned twitchers, with their expensive looking cameras, scopes and binoculars, I felt more confident I would see it, although slightly embarrassed about my rudimentary equipment: my eyes and a monocular. After sitting for ten minutes or so, I forgot about the wet, the cold, the mud, the discomfort; my focus favoured the hedgerows in the middle distance.
I heard a bustling from the birders. Their lenses pointed like compass needles towards a hedgerow behind me. There it was: perched on an outlying hawthorn branch. Before long it treated us to a hovering display in the field right in front of us. It circled the field, occasionally stopping to linger over another spot.
There I was, on a soggy January afternoon, amongst other people who had also made the choice to ‘put themselves in the way’ and what happened? We saw beauty!
The takeaway
Nature doesn’t require us to be at our best to receive its benefits. It doesn't care if we have a sore shoulder or if we’re feeling "lost" like Cheryl Strayed. It only requires that we show up. Whether it’s a 1,100-mile trek or a short drive to a Lincolnshire hedgerow to see a rare bird, the act of choosing to be present for the beauty that exists, despite the mud, is where the healing begins.
Putting yourself in the way
Sometimes, putting yourself in the way of beauty just means:
Driving to a local spot to watch the light change.
Seeking out a rare visitor in a local hedgerow.
Simply choosing to be "there" for the sunset, even if it's just from your back garden.
Nature doesn't demand that we be at our strongest or most prepared; it only asks that we show up. If you’re ready to show up for yourself and for nature, get in touch today to discuss how I can support your journey.