My father grew up on a Kentucky farm but found his dream in the skies. Becoming an Air Force pilot, he flew cargo planes, air rescue helicopters, and jets. When he retired from the Air Force, he became a flight instructor. My favorite times were when he'd take me up in his Cessna 172 to explore the skies together, soaring over the Southern California coast and the sparkling blue Pacific Ocean.
One morning, I looked up in disappointment at the gray stratus clouds, thinking our flight would be cancelled. But my father reassured me that we could still fly that day. We headed out to the airport and took off. When the plane broke through the cloud layer, the sky was suddenly clear and blue. My father smiled. "The sun is always there," he said. "Sometimes when we're too close to the ground, we can't see it."
We can also forget that the sun is still there in our lives if our vision is clouded by stress and everyday routine. Yet now, as the season of spring brings new life to our world, we can bring greater light to our lives by appreciating the beauty of nature.
Appreciation can help us focus on moments of beauty around us that we often take for granted. Psychologist Dan Baker, PhD, considers appreciation the "fundamental happiness tool." He says that when we appreciate the beauty in our lives, we transcend our normal world and enter "a state of grace."[1] The appreciation of beauty and excellence is one of twenty-four character strengths common to humankind.[2]
When we open our hearts in appreciation, we can feel greater joy, meaning, and connection with life. Research has found that appreciation can help relieve stress, reduce inflammation, strengthen our emotional balance, and bring us greater hope. [3]
Sometimes our appreciation of nature can lead to awe, a deep emotional or spiritual connection to a power beyond ourselves. We can feel awe in response to a radiant sunset, a majestic redwood tree, and new signs of life in spring. [4] Psychologist Dacher Keltner, PhD, has found that awe can bring us feelings of deep, transcendent joy and inspire us to become more curious, creative, and open to the wonders of life.[5]
In this season of spring, I invite you to find more ways to appreciate nature, to bring the light of greater hope and possibility into your life.
I wish you joy in the process.
Diane
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References
[1] Baker, D. & Stauth, C. (2003). What Happy People Know. Kutztown, PA: Rodale Press. Discussion and quote on page 81.
[2] Peterson, C. & Seligman, M. E. P. (2004). Character Strengths and Virtues. New York, NY: Oxford University Press. Discussion on pages 537-538.
[3] Adler, M. G., & Fagley, N.S. (2005). Appreciation: Individual differences in finding value and meaning as a unique predictor of subjective well-being. Journal of Personality, 73 (1), 79-113; Childre, D. & Martin, H. with Beech, D. (1999). The HeartMath Solution. New York, NY: HarperCollins; Diessner, R., Solom, R. C., Frost, N. K., & Parsons, L. (2008). Engagement with beauty: Appreciating natural, artistic, and moral beauty. Journal of Personality, 142 (3), 303-329; Stellar, J. E., John-Henderson, N., Anderson, C.L., Gordon, A. M., McNeill, G. D., & Keltner, D. (2015). Positive affect and markers of inflammation: Discrete positive emotions predict lower levels of inflammatory cytokines. Emotion, 15 (2), 129.
[4] Adler, M. G., & Fagley, N.S. (2005). Appreciation: Individual differences in finding value and meaning as a unique predictor of subjective well-being. Journal of Personality, 73 (1), 79-113; Fagley, N.S. (2016). The Construct of Appreciation. In D. Carr (Ed.). Perspectives on Gratitude: An Interdisciplinary Approach, pp 70-84. Oxford UK: Routledge.
[5] Keltner, D. (2023). Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life. New York, NY: Penguin Press.