The contrast you drew between supermarket blueberries and the ones picked straight from the woods made me feel the earth under my feet and the cool shade of the trees.
Thank you so much for your thoughtful comment, Didier! I always appreciate hearing that my article resonated with you. 🙏
There is something unique about the simplicity of nature, and I'm glad that the comparison to wild blueberries helped convey that feeling. I absolutely value you taking the time to share your thoughts!
Great piece Alexandra! And I couldn't agree more. I recall a conversation between a journalist and a farmer about his big, beautiful blueberries as well. The farmer responded that bigger blueberries do not necessarily mean better taste, but the consumers in the supermarkets want the biggest cause they buy with their eyes.
The idea that we lose connection with nature is one that has become more prominent in my life, and I believe in more and more lives of other Gen z's. There are, of course, a lot who thrive in the fast-paced world. But at the same time, rates of depression are skyrocketing. And where do these people go to relax and rewire? Nature.
It's like we are blind to the signs. Many people go through days without a single step in nature (or even outside). Compared to our ancestors, who were in nature every single day.
Thank you for sharing your insights on how losing our connection with nature relates to mental and emotional imbalances. Many of us are feeling a strong desire to reconnect with nature for clarity, healing and to find grounding in various aspects of life.
Love this Alexandra. Flow can be found anywhere based on our passions, presence, and competency. Outdoor pursuits, however, hit a little differently as you’ve beautifully explained in this post.
Thank you so much, Kyle! I completely agree with you. Flow can manifest in many aspects of life, though there's something powerful about experiencing it outdoors. I always appreciate your unique perspective.
I think it is sad how more remote each generation seems to become from nature and its treasures. My parents taught me about nature and encouraged me to learn. I have invested the same in my son - some of the best holidays we have had have been rock pooling, snorkeling and exploring wild places.
Thank you, Alexandra for keeping a light shining on how much we can all gain and learn from nature.
Thank you, Peter! I love hearing about how you’ve passed that connection to nature down to your son. Those are incredible memories. It’s so important to keep that curiosity and appreciation alive. I’m grateful for your kind words and for sharing your experience!
This post reminds me of the nature retreats my parents used to take me to. Five hours deep in some mountain, no signal or electricity.
It forces you to live in the present for sure. Everything is more difficult, inconvenient, but very involved and intentional. I always come out with a renewed appreciation of everyday things. Like, like dirt and blurriness were wiped away clean from my mental lenses.
It would be great to have that experience at will someday. At this point, spending three days disconnected is not something I can sustainably maintain on the regular.
Thank you so much, James! I'm always grateful you share your experiences. Keep sharing them!
I can completely relate to the challenge of staying still. Daily life pushes us to do the opposite. But moments like those allow us to reset, achieve breakthroughs, and appreciate the simple things we often neglect.
I absolutely love the journey you described (from supermarket blueberries to wild, natural blueberries) and how vividly you captured their flavor. (I love blueberries myself!)
It’s true, there was a time when we were more connected to the world around us. And the problem isn’t even that nature has changed. It’s that we’ve lost touch with it. In our rush to chase "innovation", trends and meet society’s expectations, we’ve overlooked the simple, grounding joys of life.
We placed everything above nature, only to find ourselves yearning to reconnect with it. The irony is undeniable.
I love how you put it, Zhenya. :) Your thoughts give me even more clarity about what I wanted to communicate in my message.
Grateful to have you in my life. You remind me of these simple, grounding truths. Thank you, as always, for being truly supportive along my journey. You mean a lot to me. :)
Aw, thank you so much for your kind words! I really (!!) appreciate it and can only give it back to you :)
I guess sometimes two minds are better than one when it comes to communicating a message. It's similar to the parable of the blind men and the elephant :)
Right back at you! It's amazing how like-minded we are in terms of energy. We collaborate, bring our perspectives and create something more complete. 😌
Love the blind men and the elephant analogy. I am truly thankful for our talks, your insights, and the way we sharpen each other's thoughts!!! :)
Alexandra, your article felt so refreshing.
The contrast you drew between supermarket blueberries and the ones picked straight from the woods made me feel the earth under my feet and the cool shade of the trees.
Thank you so much for sharing your experience!
Thank you so much for your thoughtful comment, Didier! I always appreciate hearing that my article resonated with you. 🙏
There is something unique about the simplicity of nature, and I'm glad that the comparison to wild blueberries helped convey that feeling. I absolutely value you taking the time to share your thoughts!
Great piece Alexandra! And I couldn't agree more. I recall a conversation between a journalist and a farmer about his big, beautiful blueberries as well. The farmer responded that bigger blueberries do not necessarily mean better taste, but the consumers in the supermarkets want the biggest cause they buy with their eyes.
The idea that we lose connection with nature is one that has become more prominent in my life, and I believe in more and more lives of other Gen z's. There are, of course, a lot who thrive in the fast-paced world. But at the same time, rates of depression are skyrocketing. And where do these people go to relax and rewire? Nature.
It's like we are blind to the signs. Many people go through days without a single step in nature (or even outside). Compared to our ancestors, who were in nature every single day.
Your recall is spot on, Ivo!
Thank you for sharing your insights on how losing our connection with nature relates to mental and emotional imbalances. Many of us are feeling a strong desire to reconnect with nature for clarity, healing and to find grounding in various aspects of life.
Always appreciate your thoughts 🙏 😊
Love this Alexandra. Flow can be found anywhere based on our passions, presence, and competency. Outdoor pursuits, however, hit a little differently as you’ve beautifully explained in this post.
Thank you so much, Kyle! I completely agree with you. Flow can manifest in many aspects of life, though there's something powerful about experiencing it outdoors. I always appreciate your unique perspective.
I think it is sad how more remote each generation seems to become from nature and its treasures. My parents taught me about nature and encouraged me to learn. I have invested the same in my son - some of the best holidays we have had have been rock pooling, snorkeling and exploring wild places.
Thank you, Alexandra for keeping a light shining on how much we can all gain and learn from nature.
Thank you, Peter! I love hearing about how you’ve passed that connection to nature down to your son. Those are incredible memories. It’s so important to keep that curiosity and appreciation alive. I’m grateful for your kind words and for sharing your experience!
ONE DAY Alexandra! I will find my way back to Sweden, and you bet that I will be learning how to forage from you!
ONE DAY, indeed! I'll be ready to share all the foraging unknowns in Sweden. I can't wait for that. :)
Thanks so much for your spirit, it'll be a blast! 🙌
This post reminds me of the nature retreats my parents used to take me to. Five hours deep in some mountain, no signal or electricity.
It forces you to live in the present for sure. Everything is more difficult, inconvenient, but very involved and intentional. I always come out with a renewed appreciation of everyday things. Like, like dirt and blurriness were wiped away clean from my mental lenses.
It would be great to have that experience at will someday. At this point, spending three days disconnected is not something I can sustainably maintain on the regular.
Anyway, awesome post :)
Thank you so much, James! I'm always grateful you share your experiences. Keep sharing them!
I can completely relate to the challenge of staying still. Daily life pushes us to do the opposite. But moments like those allow us to reset, achieve breakthroughs, and appreciate the simple things we often neglect.
Thanks again for your kind words about my post :)
I absolutely love the journey you described (from supermarket blueberries to wild, natural blueberries) and how vividly you captured their flavor. (I love blueberries myself!)
It’s true, there was a time when we were more connected to the world around us. And the problem isn’t even that nature has changed. It’s that we’ve lost touch with it. In our rush to chase "innovation", trends and meet society’s expectations, we’ve overlooked the simple, grounding joys of life.
We placed everything above nature, only to find ourselves yearning to reconnect with it. The irony is undeniable.
Thank you for sharing such a great piece! :)
I love how you put it, Zhenya. :) Your thoughts give me even more clarity about what I wanted to communicate in my message.
Grateful to have you in my life. You remind me of these simple, grounding truths. Thank you, as always, for being truly supportive along my journey. You mean a lot to me. :)
Aw, thank you so much for your kind words! I really (!!) appreciate it and can only give it back to you :)
I guess sometimes two minds are better than one when it comes to communicating a message. It's similar to the parable of the blind men and the elephant :)
Right back at you! It's amazing how like-minded we are in terms of energy. We collaborate, bring our perspectives and create something more complete. 😌
Love the blind men and the elephant analogy. I am truly thankful for our talks, your insights, and the way we sharpen each other's thoughts!!! :)
I’m really grateful as well! :)