I have always, since my first memory loved nature. As a child I would sneak away from my chores and go and explore in the woods around our small farm. I remember sitting under a shade tree and day dreaming of my success as a female. My motto was, “Anything a boy can do, a girl can do better.” I even sang that to my daughter as I rocked her to sleep when she was a baby. And, she is proving just that as a female actor and director.
I also remember lying in our garden of fruits and vegetables, looking up at the sky and seeing all the beautiful shapes the clouds made on summer days. I feel so very fortunate to have grown up on a farm and being coddled and shaped by nature.
I am also very fortunate to marry a man who taught me how to take long hikes, paddle a canoe, sleep in a tent and enjoy nature as we raised our son and daughter.
Today I was reminded once more of how grateful I am for living amongst nature in my community as well as how Freud puts it, that we are to “get into harmony with (our complexes). They are what direct his conduct in the world.” If we as a society could somehow spread that purpose of living in harmony with the universe, we would be able to live in a much more peaceful world. I believe “Mindful Leadership” is one way to train our children and youth to live in harmony, not only with the universe but also with each other.
