Coming to our senses

We are coming to the end of Summer, there is a chill in the early morning, and the temperatures are not as hot in the middle of the day. The memories of holidays and days out are fading - or are they?

I was lucky enough to visit Yellowstone Park and The Grand Tetons in Wyoming USA, with members of my family. where I bought a wonderful book called 'wild writing' by Tina Welling. Aimed at writers, but actually a great book for anyone who is interested in nature or mindfulness as it is essentially about using nature to become more present and aware. Judy Reeves writes about this book "before I was a full chapter in, I found myself breathing more deeply, by chapter 2 I was outside with a notebook and pen." - I agree with her, I felt the same.

One of the things that resonated with me was how she described the thousands of people who visit Jackson Hole from all over the world every year for the scenery and wildlife. Bison elk and moose graze freely and sometimes bears can be seen with their cubs (yes, you should always carry bear spray when out hiking). However, once the tourists get off the planes that brought them to this piece of paradise - they then view everything from behind a screen measuring approx 6 x 3 inches , using only one of their senses.

As we moved on to the west coast of America to drive the pacific coast highway - route 1. I decided to try and really look at what I was seeing instead of snapping everything, to savour later (does anyone really look back over the millions of photos we have stored in our computers?).

We were driving along a section of Big Sur, the scenery was astonishingly beautiful- rugged cliffs with sheer drops hugged by sandy empty beaches and bright glimmering sea as far as the eye could see. I could feel the sand between my toes from an earlier stroll on the beach, the wind whooshing through the window and ruffling my hair, I could smell the seaweed and taste the salty spray from the sea.

So many photos were taken during this trip - but most of them I cannot remember. This though, I will never forget, my senses have stored it in my body. The next time you go on holiday - or want to capture a moment, consider using your senses instead of your iPhone.

Book: Writing Wild by Tina Welling

note, the photo is of Jenny Lake, Grand Teton, Wyoming ( I didn't take one of the Big Sur)