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Episode Description
This episode was created and recorded by Emma Ryan in ᐊᒥᐢᑲᐧᒋᐋᐧᐢᑲᐦᐃᑲᐣ amiskwaciwâskahikan (Edmonton) on Treaty 6 territory.
Oh hey! I’m so glad I ran into you. I’m going for a walk, want to come?
Are you breathing?
Join Emma on this casual wander inviting you to be fully present, wherever you are, and live in relationship with nature. Incorporating sensory mindfulness practices and a healthy dose of fun, she gently nudges us to consider the world - and the trees - around us more deeply.
Want the transcript, more info about what you heard, or a way to connect with other wanderers? Check out our website or connect with us on Instagram. If you have an idea, feedback, or story you’d like to share, give us a shout at wouldyouwander@gmail.com.
Edited by Sam Jeffery in amiskwaciwâskahikan (Edmonton) on Treaty 6 territory.
Meet the Storyteller: Emma Ryan (she/her)
Where did you grow up?
Amiskwaciwâskahikan (colonially known as Edmonton)
What's your favourite plant?
Weeping willows!
Favourite random nature fact?
Goats have accents! - Researchers at Queen Mary University of
London found that though goats don't have their own language, they do
seem able to pick up accents from one another.
What's something nature has taught you that's stuck with you?
The world around us is just as living as we are, and gives us so
much. Yet all we do is take from it. We must strive for a more mutual
relationship.
Resources and Further Reading
A growing body of empirical evidence is revealing the value of nature experience for mental health. With rapid urbanization and declines in human contact with nature globally, crucial decisions must be made about how to preserve and enhance opportunities for nature experience.
TRANSCRIPT - Wander 6: Nature Nurture
Note: Transcripts may contain errors. If you wish to re-use all, or part of, a transcript, please contact Would You Wander for permission.
Sam: Welcome to Would You Wander, the storytelling nature podcast. Whether you're in a city, the wilds, or anywhere in between, nature is always beside you. You've come to the right place - exactly where you are. So come on - would you wander with us? This wander is by Emma Ryan. It's called "Nature Nurture".
Emma: Oh, hey, how are you doing today? I can't wait to go on a little stroll with you. Ready to go? Have some good footwear, enough layers, a snack. Low blood sugar's no joke.
[00:01:00] Great. Let's get started.
So just checking in, essentially, this is your podcast. This is your stroll. It can be whatever you want it to be. I'm just going to be the little kid sibling who whispers a ton of questions in your ear from simple ones of what's your favourite ice cream flavour to the biggest existential questions in the world. Cause that's what they do.
I hope it's a nice day when you're listening to this. It's kind of perfect weather right now. It's a bit cloudy, but it's nice.
So just as we're walking - (wait) for the car to pass, I don't know if you would be able to hear me. So just as we're walking, I'd like you to pick out five things that you can see. You don't have to tell me what they are, but for yourself, pick up five things that you can see. Great.
Now find four things you can hear.
[00:03:00] Now find three things that you can touch.
When you got those, find two things you can taste.
[00:04:00] And now find one thing you can smell.
I see a robin. He's my new walking buddy. He's looking at me. Oh, now he's goin away. Oh. I got distracted. Anyway. Feel free to get distracted by the things that are happening around you. And don't think that they are distractions, as I just said, which I'm regretting. Think of them as you being present and the moment.
[00:05:00] I invite you to find a plant. It could be a tree, it could be a shrub, little dandelion. But find a plant. And just take a moment to stand with it and breathe with it. You don't have to be anywhere else. You don't have to be thinking of anything else. Just breathe with your tree.
[00:06:00] And now I invite you to do the same thing that we just did, and find five things you can see, four things you can hear, three things you can touch, two things you can taste... but be careful, don't taste anything, uh, I wouldn't advise that. And one thing you can smell.
Feel free to do this at a distance, or if you like, go right up to the plant and really take in the details.
And after you find your senses, I invite you to think as you're looking at the tree:
How long has this plant been here?
How did it get here?
Was it blown from another tree a little bit away, or was it planted by one little first grader that they come back to see every 10 years?
Who is taking care of this tree, who is looking out for it?
Is it a home to anyone?
Is it solitary or is it surrounded by others?
And just to conclude our moment with the tree or plant, begin to breathe again in the same circle, the circle with you and the plant.
And when you're ready, continue to walk.
[00:10:00] Just checking in. Are you breathing? I know it's a silly question, but I don't know about you, I often forget to breathe. It's something that should be normal to us. However, we hold it so much. And the worst thing about it is it takes us completely out of where we are.
So as we're walking, I invite you to breathe. I hope you are.
You know what's another really funny thing? As we walk, the ground is always there to catch us. It's always there, even if we're falling from a chair, or for falling from a great, great height. The ground will always catch us. May not be the friendliest greeting and possibly very destructive, but it is something we can count on. The ground will always be there.
In a time that there's so much, that is undetermined. And changing. And things we have no control over whatsoever. It's helpful to find the very little things that we can count on. The sun will come up. The ground will be there to catch us.
And as we found a plant, I invite you to find a living creature that isn't human. It could be... and not a plant. It could be a bug. It could be a Canada goose, it could be, um, could be anything. I will find one too right now.
[00:13:00] Okay. I'm with my ant here, my little guy.
So as we did with the plants, check-in. You don't have to check off all the boxes, but check in with what you can see, what you hear, careful with taste and touch, what you smell.
Just breathe with your new friend.
[00:14:00] Are they alone?
Are they frantic?
Are they stoic and stable?
What is their family like?
What journey are they going on today?
My new friend looks like he's frantically trying to find something. Going in and out in his topography is quite all over the place. Now, just have a moment with your new friend.
And continue to walk.
[00:15:00] You breathing?
As we're finishing up our stroll together, which you can completely continue to do with what we've talked about. This can be the end, this could be the first quarter of your journey.
I invite you to think of this: the world that's around us gives us so much. It takes care of us. It gives us oxygen to breathe. Animals remind us to be present.
What can we do for it?
What have we been doing? What haven't we?
Between human and nature, I think, it has become a very toxic manipulative relationship. A relationship that if you would see between two humans, you would immediately say, you have to end this. This is not safe.
[00:17:00] So how do we expect that it will be any different between us and the world around us?
I thank you greatly for coming on a stroll with me. Please remember to breathe. And when you need to become present again, when you feel like you're losing yourself a bit, go outside, focus on what a little ant is doing, or a weed.
And remember, you don't have to shrink yourself to make room for others.
Sam: If you'd like to keep wandering, head to another episode now. If not, thanks so much for coming with us. Check out our website for transcripts, resources, and connection with fellow wanderers. Are you a storyteller yourself? I would love to hear from you. The website, email, and more are all in the episode description. We can't wait to wander with you again soon.
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