NatureLog
Nature & Energy Insights
So….., we’ve made it through two years of a pandemic: ups and downs, ins and outs, and now we’re ready to celebrate that all-too-needed sentiment of: LOVE. Hallelujah to THAT! ;-) Before we dive into the gift of our time and other gift ideas, I hope you’ve checked out my blog on love. In this blog post, as I like to do each holiday season, I pull back from the commercialism of the holiday and reflect more deeply on activities that enable us to create special time together. Too cold where you live for outdoor activities? No problem! I’ve included plenty of ideas for indoor activities that help you celebrate with your loved one. Herein, my 2022 Valentine’s day gift of love ideas that I hope inspire you to create even more! …. Idea #1: Plan a picnic in a local park or at the beach. You don’t have to be close to other people in either location. And if you cannot get out of the car, or you live in a place that’s still FAR too cold to enjoy the outdoors, crank up that car heater and find a place to see a beautiful scene right from your car. Enjoy your picnic right there in the comfort and warmth. To make it even more special, catch a sunrise or a sunset there. Bring the warm, comfy blanket, some bolster pillows from home, and anything else that shifts the car to a comfortable Valentine’s escape. You can even create a picnic theme – perhaps it’s a typical lunch, or perhaps it’s just dessert. Either way, get creative, have a little fun – and enjoy! Idea #2: Find a nearby Botanical Garden and explore what they may be offering this time of year. Remember that Botanical Gardens have year-round programs to enjoy, as well as the seasonal features in their landscape displays. It might be a nice opportunity to take a class that gets you ready for Spring gardening, teaches about something in your backyard, or other insights. Often these parks have ADA trails and benches throughout as well, making them accessible to a broad range of people and their needs. I LOVE the Norfolk Botanical Gardens where I can pop my mother on a tram that enables her to see most of what the park has to offer, from the comfortable seat of her tram ride! Idea #3: MOVE! Your body, that is .... One of the wonderful ways that we can treat our bodies well is to keep stagnant energy moving through our bodies. Our life force energy, or Qi, can get stuck with the trials and tribulations of life. So why not practice the gift of wellness – together! Whether you opt to plan a romantic evening of slow dancing to a Spotify, Apple Music or other love songs playlist, or you plan a yoga or Qi Gong session together, this is a wonderful way to share your love by sharing a gift of well-being. Have a senior citizen that you’re planning a Valentine’s activity for? QiGong is very gentle as are many of the yoga modalities. There is even senior yoga. Check it out on YouTube, YogaDowload.com, and other online sites. Idea #4: Virtual tasting: Plan a virtual visit to a winery or microbrewery, or visit a tea room. Or have a taste testing featuring teas or foods from a particular area, or several areas, of the world. If you fancy a good wine or microbrew, sample different varietals or types from the same or different brands and use your Valentine’s day for a taste-testing experience. Or perhaps there’s an area of the world that intrigues you. Explore its cuisine! Perhaps fill up a food board with samples of different specialties from that region. We recently visited Santa Rosa, CA for a quick getaway and enjoyed doing the same. We spent the afternoon – away from crowds – in the fun microbrewery of Lagunitas, and had a nice sampler of Jewish delights at a Noshery in downtown. We thoroughly enjoyed these parts of our trip even though originally they weren’t the focus of the visit. Idea #5: A Challenge - Puzzles and Games! Buy a new puzzle, a new game, a mandala coloring book and coloring pencils, a new crossword puzzle book or some other relaxing game or activity that you can enjoy together. Is your game of choice limited to parties of 4? Forget about it! We just modify the rules and setup to have fun with games like Cranium and Pictionary so that we can play with just the two of us. Do you enjoy spelling and games like Scrabble? Another fun – and mobile - game is Quiddler. Mobile because it’s simply a big deck of cards you can take anywhere. We keep it in our camper so we can play anytime. You could also take it in the car for your aforementioned car-picnic, Idea #1, above. Idea #6: Experiences! This is still one of my ‘new’ favorites. Visit AirBnB Experiences and choose an online – or socially-distanced onsite - activity you can do together. You can explore cooking, take a virtual tour of an area of the world you’ve never visited, discover a new hobby such as Kombucha making. I’ve used such experiences to visit animals. Not available on Valentine’s day? No problem! Book it and pop the voucher into a Valentine’s card for future use, enjoying it on a day that doesn’t feel rushed. The beauty of the online experiences is that you can connect someone, such as your mother, in another area of the country or world, and time-zone-differences permitting, still enjoy the experience together.
Regardless of what you do and how you share Valentine’s Day, be sure to take the time to reflect and appreciate the love you share with those in your life. They can feel your gratitude energetically and who can’t use a good dose of more love in our lives?!
Happy Valentine’s day everyone!!!
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January 2023
AuthorPamela, Eyes4Nature's proprietor, enjoying life out in the field among the animals and the peacefulness of nature. Categories
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