There’s a stretch of the year in the North Country when the bright leaves are gone but the deep winter snow hasn’t quite settled in. The trees are showing their shapes again, and the woods can look a little bare if you’re in a hurry.
I happen to think that’s a good time to slow down.
I’m trained in forest therapy practice, but you don’t have to know anything about it to try this. You don’t need a special trail, fancy gear, or even a whole hour. You can sit on a porch, stand at the edge of your yard, or look out an open window.
An invitation: Notice five things
First minute: Find a comfortable place. Notice where your feet meet the ground or how a chair supports you. You don’t have to close your eyes.
Second minute: Look for five things that would be easy to miss. A different shade of green. A patch of moss. The outline of a branch against the sky.
Third minute: Listen. A bird, the wind, a distant car, a dog barking—whatever is actually there. This isn’t a contest to make the world perfectly quiet.
Fourth minute: Notice the air. Is it damp, sharp, cool, still? If you can safely touch a fallen leaf or a bit of bark, compare the textures. Leave anything growing right where it belongs.
Fifth minute: Pick one detail to remember. You can put it in a journal, tell someone at supper, or just carry it with you.
No perfect ending required
Some days I feel calmer after a few minutes outside. Some days my mind is still busy, and that’s fine. Nature connection isn’t another chore to get right, and these invitations aren’t medical treatment.
If you’re new to this, start with a small, safe place you already know. Let the season do the rest.
Photos from the farm
