The year just started, but everything seems to be moving so quickly. Many of us are looking forward to moments of serenity to reconnect with ourselves and quiet the everyday noise. For me, this moment was a few weeks ago when I took a 7-hour round-trip walk from the Netherlands to Belgium.
If you have ever been to (or lived in) the Netherlands, you know that hiking in its truest form is not necessarily… possible. Luckily, there are many exciting paths that a walker can take. One of these walking paths is the 8km Smokkelroute (smuggling route), which was used to smuggle, among other things, butter. Lol, I know, butter probably isn’t the first thing that pops into mind when someone says the word “smuggle”. But apparently, in the nineteenth century there was the implementation of high taxes in the netherlands; where in belgium the taxes weren’t as high. the Smokkelroute was used to transport goods illegally across the border. And while I can write so much about the fascinating historical background of the route, today’s blog is more about mindfulness and how that relates to sustainability.
I was quite pumped for the walk, and when I arrived at the starting point, I challenged myself to be as “in-the-moment” as possible. This challenge manifested itself in my own version of a 5-senses game, or rather four senses; spoiler alert, unfortunately, I couldn’t find anything edible along the way. Nevertheless, I could appreciate nature’s beauty and processes.
What I Saw
I saw So many colours, so many textures and a snippet of the transition from winter to spring. While some trees were still brown and barren, others were coming back to life. This is an enigmatic transition, a simple, natural process that also reminded me of the need to shed to uncover beauty once again.
What I Smelled
I smelled Sweet-smelling flowers, wet grass and a whole lot of dung. I am not sure what I was expecting to smell, but I am somewhat surprised…? Luckily, I love the smell of wet grass. The weather was sunny and rainy at different moments throughout the walk, intensifying the smell of the grass. If I could describe it, it was the smell of earth, but with a natural sweetener. Quite the contrast to all the horse dung. It was definitely nature’s perfume and a unique experience for my sense of smell.
What I Heard
I heard The birds and the trees were having a party. As the wind blew, the trees were dancing, the birds chirping; it was a sound that I could easily fall asleep to. Nature’s party unearthed a certain sense of peace that amplified the sounds I heard. It felt like the elements of nature were having a conversation, and what I would do to hear all the juicy details.
What I Touched (Felt)
I touched Different trees with various textures, and that within itself was a grounding experience. When observing the trees I wondered what their insides look like during this seasonal transition. Overall, the experience was considerably less physically demanding than I thought, because for most of the time I felt calm and at peace.
The bit about sustainability
But here’s the bit about sustainability. This walk made me question whether I have an instrumental relationship with nature. I have always thought of myself as more of an intrinsic nature lover, valuing it just because. What I realised immediately, after and in the days following this walk, is how much better I feel being in nature. In some way, I started to reflect on that feeling being the reason why I constantly want to be in nature. Now I wonder whether valuing nature intrinsically is a fallacy, because I find myself in a chicken-and-egg situation. Do I love being in nature because it brings me peace, or am I in peace because I am in nature?
In any case, it’s the million-dollar question I don’t necessarily want an answer to, but am glad I thought about, because it makes me reconsider my position on instrumental values related to nature.
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