A Love Letter to Nature’s Little Things

Another day of work looking at a computer screen. Another virtual class to get a degree. After almost a year of distancing, I’ve gotten too comfortable being within these four walls. I miss nature! There are so many things that I took for granted; it’s the little things that I long for the most. 

Walking on a hot, sunny day, accompanied only by the lone breeze that floats through the air beside me. Gathering my friends for sunrise hikes, and getting there just in time to see the first rays hit the mountainside. Having a picnic in the neighborhood park, where any tree becomes the perfect spot of shade. Nature is alluring; it is something that we must cherish now, and protect for the future.

Looking around my apartment, I see just how much I have been given by the earth surrounding me. My bookcase came from the earth and is filled with products of the same nature that supply me with hours of entertainment. Wooden picture frames, holding images of close family or dearly departed pets soothe me when things go awry. The bed in which I find comfort each night, and the apartment that offers me shelter from the cold, both created with the aid of living organisms. 

All of these things are taken for granted, and I am often struck by the realization again and again until it inevitably slips through the cracks as my life takes another turn. It truly is the little things in life that I love so much.

This February, many of us will be living in ways we never would have dreamed about just a year ago, and there is a lot of uncertainty for the future as it stands. Sometimes it feels as though the more we scroll, the less we understand, and the less we understand, the more we dwell on the things that hold us back.

Whether you are working from home or in the office, I hope you’ll look outside your window now and then, and let awe fill your hearts instead of stress or fear. Although covered in snow and hidden from view as we look through perhaps now broken rose-colored glasses, the little things are still there. Now more than ever, we must find time to see them and smile as we drink from a glass-half-full.

Editors’ Note: This love letter is part of Planet Home’s Valentine’s Day series. We asked our team to write an ode to a part of the world they feel most connected to. We hope this inspires you to appreciate all things big and small that make our planet feel like home.