This past weekend, I found myself playing a game with my husband and a friend, and a group of adults we really didn’t know. Some of your kids may have played this game: A person sits in the middle blindfolded with a set of keys near them. There is a circle of people around them, who in turn try to sneak up and steal the keys away without being caught out by the person in the middle. Why were we doing this? It was the introduction to our day joining the P.I.N.E Projects ‘nature and tracking club’.
I’ve mentioned the P.I.N.E. Project before, but thought it was time to dedicate a blog to them, having recently spent a full day at their workshop on “the art of mentoring” and with the ‘nature and tracking club’ this past weekend. “Be more. Need less.” This is the vision for the P.I.N.E. Project. Their mission is “to inspire healthy, lifelong connections between people and nature through outdoor learning and play”. The core values are Gratitude, Respect, Awareness, Life Long Learning, and Resilience. This movement isn’t anything new, but thanks to the book “The Coyotes Guide to Connecting with Nature”, communities interested in this aspect of living are connecting, to make this a global community. I recently got a copy of “The Coyotes Guide…” and was amazed to see the listings around the world of associated groups – and that would only be a small representation, having gotten to know several groups recently who are not among the listed.
So why is this important? Because I think connecting with nature is about much more than connecting with the world around us, which itself is important. When I was at the workshop, the facilitator asked the group of us in the circle around him “what are the walls that keep us from connecting with nature?” Things like technology and schedules came up. It made me think, that not only do technology and schedules keep us from connecting with nature, but also from connecting with ourselves and each other.
The day of the full day workshop was the day it rained, non-stop. One of our tasks that day was to make a fire. We could only gather things out in nature to make this happen. That sounds pretty miserable, but it wasn’t. Not only were we focused as a group, working together to make this happen – therefore making connections with each other, I also found it an opportunity to connect with myself. Usually I am so busy doing – well, everything, being a multitasking mom – that I couldn’t even tell you what my thoughts were over the course of a day. If I had to describe it, it would be like attending a heavy metal rock concert. However, on this occasion, I clearly remember my thoughts, as they were focused. To describe my brain would be more like attending a classical symphony at the TSO. While I am usually thinking one or ten steps down the road, I was connected to myself and the moment. And when we met up with the kids, to eat our lunch around our fire in the tepee, cuddled up and sopping wet, it was a chance to connect with them, the only distraction being the story that was told or the song we were singing.
After the ‘nature and tracking club’ this past weekend, my husband reflected that it was a bit weird – acting like a kid, playing games and singing songs. I know I had that moment earlier myself, but I had to reflect on WHY is that weird? Sure, with friends, one might feel comfortable enough to sing or play games, but it is harder with strangers. However, when I look at my children, in their experiences, even recently with starting new camps and making new friends, it’s naturally within them to sing, to play. I watch them with envy, as they dive into the games or belt out the songs. My son showed us proudly his necklace from camp on his first day. “Each bead represents a friend I made today.” He told us. Would I have gotten so many beads on my first day in a group of adults? Not likely!
I’ve also learned how much I still have to learn in the world, and how much even my children can teach me. When out with our ‘tracking group’ I found myself telling the group information about this tree, or that plant, or remedies from said plants. How did I know this information I was imparting? Thanks to my boys. For example, last weekend I took my younger son and our dog for a walk in a small Toronto ravine. We were busy looking at a maple tree that was growing strange, while my son told me all about maple syrup and how it is made. We were so distracted, we didn’t notice the poison ivy carpeting the ground around the tree until too late. My son remained calm, while confirming the identification of it as poison ivy, and then looking for the remedy for it, to apply right away, and gathering more of the remedy to bring home. Needless to say, I was impressed, and learned a lot that day!
Mentorship is a large component of this movement. I think a year ago, I would have visualized a ‘mentor’ as one, old, wise person, imparting information to one pupil. Now, I see a group of people, who all have wisdom of some sort to share with each other, and building a community in doing so. To me mentorship is about making connections and giving meaning to learning, and I’ve certainly seen this in action while participating with the P.I.N.E. group, which has then carried back into my life.
I highly recommend checking out the P.I.N.E. Project, or simply finding time away from busy schedules and technology, to connect with nature, others, your family and/or yourself and enjoy the wonder and beauty of our world.
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