We’ve lost the ability to feel the earth viscerally.
Richard C Schwartz, The Blue Mind
I was at an awards ceremony a month ago where a local Soil and Water Conservation District gave awards to volunteer rain gauge readers. Some of these volunteers have been reporting daily precipitation for 20+ years! This data is used in many ways from tracking runoff as it affects water quality to tracking long-term precipitation trends. The volunteers said they like doing it because it keeps them in touch with the rhythms of nature. This resonated with me. Many of them are also farmers, and farmers are intricately connected to the weather.
If you work in an office, do you have a window? I work from home, and my office is in a corner in the basement with no windows. For the past month I moved my office upstairs to the dining room table because we are doing some renovations in our basement. Now that I have a window I notice if it’s sunny, cloudy, snowing, or windy outside. It makes me feel more connected to the earth’s daily rhythms.
When we’re inside a lot and looking at screens we lose touch with the day-to-day in nature. This happens more and more these days because of technology. It also happens in the winter in Minnesota. When you’re camping, hunting, or fishing (whether its summer or winter), you notice what time the sun rises and sets, what birds are singing, and what bugs are biting. This connection to nature feeds our circadian rhythms. It’s probably some of why we feel so at ease when out in nature for the day.
Our circadian rhythm is a natural, 24-hour cycle that regulates various bodily functions, including sleep, wakefulness, metabolism, and hormone release. Light and dark have the biggest influence on circadian rhythms, but food intake, stress, physical activity, social environment, and temperature also affect them. When our circadian rhythms are off, it can affect our sleep, mood, and general feeling of wellbeing.
We are part of the earth and nature, and we need it. We need the sun on our skin and our feet on the earth.
If you’re feeling off or disconnected, try reconnecting with the rhythms of nature again. Notice the time of the sunrise and sunset, or even track it. Get a rain gauge and watch the daily precipitation amounts. Take a daily walk, and instead of listening to something on your headphones listen to nature. See how it makes you feel.
Moriya Rufer is a water quality professional with 20 years experience working with lakes in northern Minnesota.
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