Look for the Little Things...

One of my favourite invitations when guiding a Forest Bathing session is to invite you to ‘look for the little things’; I think this comes from a fasciation with all things magical and imagined (or what might or might not be there). When I look at pictures like this one, I see a micro world, tall trees and mountain tops all within a rotten fence post……

Hidden worlds develop amongst rotting fenceposts (Cath Wright)

I like to think about ‘who’ might be living in there and what other people see when they look at it – it can’t be just me that sees little worlds within worlds?! – a plea to let me know if you do the same and I’m not alone with this one!

Today I wandered the River Spey with a friend and one of my dogs (Newt the Greyhound for those dog folks wondering). Last night was the first proper hard frost of this winter and it was -3 whilst we walked. The sunshine was low and bright, the sky a vibrant and never-ending blue and the Old Spey Bridge was covered in ice crystals glittering in the sunlight. There was not a breath of wind or cloud in the sky and although chilly, it was magical to study the ice crystals and ask myself “What Am I Noticing”?

Newt the Greyhound; always up for an adventure! (Cath Wright)

I found myself looking closely at the intricate patterns in the ice, careful not to disturb the unbroken ‘crazy paving’ of crystals stretching across the bridge’s parapets. I don’t know if it was the sunlight, cold temperature or just that I noticed more than normal, but the detail I could see was amazing. The ice formed spiky landscapes and mountain ranges across the hard granite, they reminded me of scenes from a Hollywood movie something with an asteroid or an alien landscapes!

Spiky landscapes and mountain ranges. (Cath Wright)

Dazzling sunbeams reaching across the ice. (Cath Wright)

I spent about 25 minutes investigating the delicate structures in the dazzling midday sunbeam and with only the noise from the powerful river below me, it was calm and I could have spent a lot longer there; however, my friend arrived and Newt didn’t appear to have the same fascination as I did with slowing down and looking at the little things in life!

Next time you are out in nature, your garden or even just with a friendly houseplant, slow down and ‘look at the little things’.