30 Days of Yes - Nature is hot, AC in the car I don't got!

Operation Nature - that was my assignment in 30 Days of Yes www.30daysYes.com yesterday. The task for day 6 was to focus on living in the now and absorb, observe and respect nature. This comes on the heels of having to spend 15 minutes of silent listening yesterday, by far the toughest activity so far in 30 Days of Yes. Taking in nature, as relaxing as that sounds, was almost as difficult as the "listening" activity. 


I started out the day taking care of some things that needed to be taken care of. My plan was to reward myself later with that nature time.


That time finally arrived on the way to a TV shoot for a story about sportsmanship in youth sports. I was heading to a little league baseball game. As some of you know the AC in my car is out and will be quite expensive to fix. Despite what is the beginning of what promises to be another record hot summer in the already hot Midwest I have to hold off on the $800 repairs. I decided to start out my observance of nature on the drive over. After all, since I did not have AC, the windows would be open and the natural air would be flowing.  What first came to my mind while driving in a no AC car, while trying to think of nature was, "nature is hot." Then that got me thinking about how hot nature really is or how hot mother nature really is. She looks great, smells great, sounds great and feels great. I happen to love hot weather. So, I prefer it when mother nature is hot. I love the smell of the air on a hot day. I will take the feel of hot air over very cold air any day. I love the way hot weather looks. During the warm and hot months (when I lived in Hawaii that was year round) nature's colors contrast beautifully with green thick green trees, blue skies and white clouds. The sounds of summer are abundant with wildlife too and the air is filled with the smell of flowers. I'm sure there's just as strong an argument for nature in the winter too but I love hot weather and yesterday got a chance to find enjoyment in not having AC in my car. I'm not so sure I would be as thrilled if my windows were open in the dead of the coldest winter day.  


When I got to the game I took in the sites and sounds of families enjoying their little baseball children making catches and most of the time not, getting hits and most of the time not. It was the warm early evening that made watching a game of baseball more pleasurable. I have been to outdoor baseball games when the wind is blowing and the temps are falling. You don't see nearly the excitement expressed as I did last night.


Yes I enjoyed my observation of nature but let's face it. I cheated. I did not take solitary time to soak it in. I did not respect it as I should have. I did not truly live in the now. I was multi-tasking instead of taking time out.


I'll tell you why it was so difficult to do what I was supposed to do. Although I would describe myself as relaxed and chill that may just be how I express myself.  But I am discovering that on the inside I am not as chill and relaxed as I would like to be. 

As I have explained before, I love life! I'm happy with my relationships, my experiences, my professional accomplishments and grateful for my very good health. What is blocking my ability to live in the now and build a more rewarding future, which is what I am trying to accomplish through 30 Days of Yes,  is my financial situation. In the past exercises I found it easy to explain what I want out of  life, express gratitude and forgiveness and do something physically challenging. The activities of  "listening" and "taking in nature" both proved to be the toughest for me thus far. Why? because most of the time my thoughts are clogged with finding a job/earning money, paying bills, etc. When I start thinking that way it creates anxiety and guilt for spending time living in the now. I feel like if I am enjoying the moment then I am not working and I can't afford to not work. I need to turn that thought around. If you are not living in the moment then you are not living.  I failed on this activity because I made the decision that I was too busy to take 15 minutes and sit under a tree. For that I sentence myself to doing 30 minutes of alone time with nature sometime this weekend. I've been bad. I need a timeout - with nature.