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 “Plant seeds of happiness, hope, success and love; it will come back to you in abundance.This is the law of nature.” ~ Steve Maraboli

Welcome to Day 12!

At times, the world can seem like a dark and hopeless place. Long, black nights, and seemingly endless winters can challenge our faith. Droughts crack the earth and wither our hearts. Storms can dampen our spirits, lightning strikes, and harsh and chilling winds can feel cruel, making life miserable and almost unbearable.

It’s these sinister, and less desirable experiences in nature that can make a person want to avoid ever going outside, being exposed to the unfriendly elements and environment. Add the gamut of health and life-threatening risks, dangers and annoyances such as ticks, flies, wasps and mosquitoes, spiders, snakes, poison ivy, too much exposure to the cancer-inducing rays of the sun, as well as lions and tigers and bears, oh my!

After reading or hearing this foreboding list, one wonders why anyone would ever willingly subject themselves to this menacing world by stepping outside their front door, just knowing the big bad wolf is ready to huff and puff and blow down your house.

I’m reminded of Woody Allen’s humorous sentiment towards this kind of nature when he said, “I love nature, I just don’t want any of it on me!”

But as you know, there is another side to the natural world. Hope and new life can be found in this same scary, wild, wonderful world.

One of the myriad blessings Nature offers is that everywhere you look you can see signs of life, resurrection and renewal. Hope. Encouragement.

The long, dreary winters are replaced by “re-greening” of the grass in the spring, where seasonal weather patterns renew and restore, bringing life-giving water to roots and shoots… especially in places like the American West where the terrain is naturally dry for long periods of time.

Hope lies dormant, awaiting an awakening in the budding of the trees and blooming of the flowers.  New shoots and runners spring from ivy and other plants. Birds, squirrels and other small animals build nests and perform beautiful and complex mating rituals. Caterpillars turn into butterflies. Bees busily buzz, pollinating fragrant flowers and manufacturing sweet honey. Ants wait for just the right picnickers to come by and drop some bread crumbs or a potato chip, to take home for their own private picnics inside their ant hills.  And the cycle of life goes on...

The sun rises every morning bringing light and warmth to a new day.  And the night offers a whole new world of intriguing sounds and soft and delicate lights, ranging from moonlight to starlight, to fluorescent plankton, to lightning bugs and glow worms.

The signs of hope and renewal are everywhere.  We need only open our eyes and ears and hearts to see and receive them.  Hope springs eternal in the gift of Nature.

Today you are to go find it, and simply bring it back in your heart in the form of gratitude.

This is your challenge. This is your blessing…

Enjoy!

Today's Checklist

☐ MEDITATION: Day 12 – “Signs of Life (Finding Hope in Nature)” (Breathing Meditation) (You can listen to this meditation on iTunes or here at Mountain Zen Den.)

☐ NATURE WALK: Spend your 20 minutes outside looking for as many signs of life in nature as you possibly can.

☐ JOURNAL: List theses signs and tell why you are grateful for them.

Be sure to post your pictures, experiences, observations on hope, etc. and share them on our 21-Day Nature Challenge Facebook Community Group page. See you tomorrow!