Life's a Stitch

I always knew a walk in the woods did something for me. Little did I know I was practicing the Japanese health tradition of Shinrin-yoku, forest bathing. This is an article from Time, that explains it well. It’s the one thing I miss from living in the rain forest, my almost daily forays onto the wooded trails. 

Living near salt water has it’s own therapeutic qualities. You can’t dwell on much else while watching whales so close to home. Granted it’s a rare event, but the ever changing sky and water are a feast for the eyes and soul for someone interested in colour and texture. There’s  probably already a Japanese term for walking by water.

Luckily there are parks and forests within a short distance, so thick as to form tree tunnels.

Here’s a tunnel of cherry blossoms, two blocks from home.

Last week, while walking the trails at Crescent Beach I saw this one:

It provided the perfect mix of passions: walking, forest bathing, tree tunnels and painting in my watercolour journal: