Be Closer To Green

June 16, 2021

Ever since I was a child, I've been very close to nature. I grew up in a village away from our town but close to nature. When our father made a temporary house for us, we settled in a secluded part of our village. He built a small nipa hut surrounded by trees and plants and very close to the river where he usually catches fish for our dinner. And we siblings like playing under the canopies of the trees and we sometimes help our mother in watering the plants planted by our father.

My father has a green thumb and likes planting. That is the reason why I like seeing flowers and green, and being close to nature ever since I was a child. Because of his hobby of planting, he bought a farm when he retired from the military service, where he can plant more. And on the other side of the road is our rice field which serves as our small source of rice on our plates. Our current house is even surrounded by different plants, flowers, even potted vegetables, and some trees were planted in the corners of our house yard. Not only outside our house has plants, but you can also see different indoor plants inside our house - in the kitchen, bedrooms, balcony, and living room.

You might think I have a green thumb too since my father has, but no, I don't have. I only have a brown thumb and the only plant I ever bought here in HK even died in my hand. Poor succulent, its life was too short because of my poor plant growing skills. Nevertheless, I still love being close to the green, I still love seeing beautiful colors of nature.

Some people often take nature, especially plants for granted. Urban parks and gardens are more than just beautification projects. But nothing can beat the real green spaces in the rural areas and provinces. And if I will choose to live whether in an urban area full of human-made green projects or a province with natural resources, I will always choose to live in a province close to nature and with lots of natural resources.

However, as what @alicia1954 of noise. cash has said, we can only live in the province for good if we are not a working person already or on our retiring age. But there are still ways to be so close even if you are working in the cities. Even just putting plants inside our room can give a significant impact on our well-being.

And we can not stop this new generation from growing exponentially and so our green spaces can be affected too much in the future. The city should advance the objective of beautifying and not just modernizing but also ecologizing the cities with caution.

Being close to the green spaces not only benefits us ecologically and environmentally but also through health improvement most especially in mental health.

Nature Heals

A toxic job and an unhealthy environment can make us feel sad and anxious, and can even elevate our tension and suppress our immune system. So every time my anxiety and depression are triggered by many factors, nature is my anti-depressant. Just seeing green trees and plants reduces my stress and makes me feel better emotionally.

I always walk to the nearby urban park full of trees and other plants and will stay there until I get better. Capturing every single beauty of nature in this place is my stress reliever. It's diverting my negative thoughts and what leaves in my mind are the captivating colorful pictures of nature.

Nature Soothes

If my mind is being occupied by so many unhealthy thoughts, I always wanted to disconnect from the world, from the bustling vibe of the city, and the green spaces are always what I am looking for, up to the mountain to see the relaxing beauty of nature.

Nature also helps me cope with pain. That is because our minds are being absorbed by the beautiful nature scenes and so our body is being distracted from our pain and discomfort. And the color of nature is our natural pain killer.

Nature Restores

Have you noticed those people living close to nature have a positive mood more than those living in the city? That is because nature is significant to our well-being. I never had a negative mood whenever I am with nature. From being stress, my mood changes to calm and balanced.

And have you noticed that if you are with nature, it seems like it is refreshing and restoring your mind? I usually stay at this park on the photo during my holidays and even how overactive my mind is, it seems like nature is refreshing my mind for new tasks.

So do not deprive yourself to spend time in the natural world because staying in front of digital screens is too unhealthy and even deadly. Give time to disconnect yourself from the negative vibe of the city and look for green, be with nature.

Living close to nature can not only give us beautiful scenery every day but it can also change our life and can even lengthen our lifespan. Just look at those people living in the mountains, they are even healthier and live a longer life than those people living in the urban areas.

It is so good to imagine waking up in the morning through the chirping of the birds, feeling the cold breeze, and seeing the beautiful scenery of nature. The vibrant colors of the flowers, the lively dancing branches of the trees, the transition of the falling leaves, the crystal clear water on the stream, the morning dew on the plants - indeed they are refreshing to our minds and can boost our moods to stay positive all day.

A morning jog to stay fit, a quiet stroll with our lovely pet to clear our mind, a catch-up session with our friends under the canopies of the big tree - who doesn't like to experience these anyway? There are so many things to do and enjoy nature every day.

But as for now, being close to the green at the nearby park will be my stress reliever, my mood booster, and my mind refresher. Until I get back to my province where I can be with nature more often or stay at our farm any time, any day.

I guess you have read this article because you thought it's about BCH Green? 😅 Yes, we should also be closer to BCH, it will save our future. 😁

Thanks for your time.

What's your story with nature? Share it below 😊