Naturally Theraputic

My family relocated to the New Orleans area last summer.

We were blessed to buy a home and property 

that has been the therapy our family has needed.

Different ways for each of us,

but communally healing. 

For my kids,

our home offers more room to play and be themselves.

The screened in porch is another area to explore

and utilize their imagination.

The porch equals a blessing when it's raining,

which it often does in the south.

For my husband,

more buildings to place his tools

and room to build and create with his hands.

An office to be able to work from home 

a portion of the time and spend more time with us.

For myself,

a peaceful beach house

with plenty of room to see my kids enjoy themselves

while also having room for myself.

A place to do yoga out in nature.

Garden fountains to always

hear the calming sound of trickling water. 

But most unexpectantly,

the outdoors.

Almost an acre of grass,

trees and creatures to explore and take care of.

Before this move, I had never voluntarily

completed outdoor work, leaving that to my husband.

But now that I have resigned and home full time with my kids

and my husband working more than usual,

the care of the home and property falls to me.

And surprisingly I embraced this new challenge.

I was given the unexpected gift of 

finding myself again emotionally and mentally

buy caring for the plants, mowing the yard,

weeding, trimming the trees and bushes,

and more. 

I'm learning about the different types of greenery

we are now the caretakers of.

Every time we see a bug, slug, gecko, lizard, snake

                                     and all the unknown ones, the kids and I stop to admire 

                                                          them in their natural habitat. 

The frogs and spiders in their webs especially

entertain my children.

When a spider web is found,

every morning the kids check on it

to see how the spider is faring.

And sometimes we'll find a little frog in our kitchen

that snuck in through the cat door.

One afternoon while playing outside,

we saw a bald eagle and another eagle

flying overhead.

I've always believed in the healing power of nature,

but I thought of it in the sense of going

into the mountains, or far away from everyday life.

But nature has taught me otherwise.

Just stepping out my back door on a daily basis

brings calm, centeredness, curiosity 

and the original playground.