http://action.wildlifetrusts.org/ea-action/action?ea.client.id=1823&ea.campaign.id=48499
The idea is to do a " random act of wildness" every day. It can be something as simple as looking up your favourite wild animal online, walking barefoot in your garden, taking a picture of a butterfly...
I was inspired to do this by Little E. The other month we were walking back from a weekly music class we attend, when he stopped at his favourite hole. "Not again!" I thought. A torn up area of grass verge is nothing to get excited about. I wanted to get home, have lunch, do "useful" things...
...when I stopped. Why was I in a rush? This muddy patch has given us some lovely moments. Splashing in our wellies, when it froze rock hard and Little E could stand on it, throwing rocks into it...
Little E is outdoorsy and I always feel I ought to be trying harder to get him on some nature walks. It suddenly occurred to me how much there was to experience on our way home. We took our time - played with the puddle, he rolled in the grass verges and I noticed the range of grasses and flowers in them, met a cat, pretended to be a dog. There were ants, beetles, butterflies and birds to look at. When we got home, Little E got me to roll in the grass in our garden and watch the clouds in the sky. I haven't done this for years.
And I felt happy (and slightly nauseated from the rolling).
I've signed up to 30 days of wild, which is supposed to start in June, but I am already trying to be mindful of it. I stopped and breathed in some wisteria scent near my house, noticed the flowers and lichens on the walls as I walk around. I practice mindfulness and this fits in perfectly - I am completely absorbed in what I can see around me and what my son is doing.
People keep telling me, "Enjoy it while it lasts, they grow up so quickly", but time stands stills when I focus on Little E completely. I hope 30 days of wild will give me more ways to direct my attention on what we do together.
Why not go wild too. :)
