Janese Johnson

Spring is in the air, and the bounce for some people is back.

It is amazing to see how deeply affected by the weather change we can be.

A common thing I am hearing is how long this winter seems to have been.

I agree that the vibrant colors and wonderful aromas of the blossoming flowers, the birds singing their springtime songs, and the new leaves coming forth definitely fill the air with a vibrancy that is affecting most of us with a feeling of wonder. These natural wonders have also been known to be a powerful healer for many through very difficult times.

Recently I saw a very touching documentary about a man living in Iraq. A fairly high cement fence surrounds his small yard so that he cannot see outside. He has a small house on a small lot, and lives quite simply. His yard is a paradise. He has flowers everywhere and the birds are plentiful and singing throughout the day.

For most of us, this sight and experience can be easily found in our beautiful paradise here in North Carolina.

What is amazing about this is that he has set this “paradise” up while the bombs and gunfire are going on just beyond its walls. He believes that nature is his only way to achieve true peace amid the nightmare that is going on around him.

He only leaves occasionally when he needs to stock up with food and supplies. The rest of the time he is letting nature heal the pain that he has suffered from this war.

Another instance of using nature as a way to cope through hard times was in 2006. It was discovered that some detainees in Guantanamo were creating a secret garden by using seeds from their food and plastic forks. They were able to grow quite a bit.

After the garden was discovered, the officers in charge decided to allow a small group of detainees, who were not threatening, to have a garden of their own.

The power of nature has been known throughout history. An ancient Greek, Hippocrates, from around 400 B.C. is considered the “father of medicine” because he was the founding father of the first school of medicine.

He believed that “nature cures — not the physician.” Hippocrates separated medicine from religion. He argued that disease was not a punishment from the gods, but rather the product of environmental factors, diet and living habits.

We are quite fortunate in our area to have nature and beauty all around. Whether you like to garden, hike, bike, swim, look at the flowers and birds, or just sit quietly with a gentle breeze massaging your face, it is important to accept the gifts that nature has to offer us.

And in exchange for those wonderful gifts that nature gives us, it is equally important to not take them for granted, but to treat nature and all of her wonders with a respect far greater than she is getting from humans.

May your springtime be filled with the gift of nature!