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Charrise McCrorey is a certified business coach, and founder of Emergence Business Coaching, LLC. She is the mother of two grown children, and she resides in Elkhart with her husband of 25 years. Her extensive corporate sales and management background lends a unique perspective to her coaching practice. Charrise volunteers as a member of the board of directors of the Literacy Council of St. Joe County, and belongs tot he Elkhart Chamber of Commerce.

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Have you noticed? It's spring here in Michiana! After an especially brutal winter filled with unprecedented viral breakouts and extremely cold temperatures, we're finally able to open the windows and breathe the fresh warm air. As our earth continues to thaw, new green growth shoots up from the formerly frozen tundra, reminding us of the extraordinary cycle of life. The miracle of our Creator's blessings abound.

Whether it is warm or cold air, our bodies and minds require fresh air in order to properly oxygenate our brain. Air that is temperature controlled is a poor substitute for filling your lungs with the crisp air of winter or the sun-warmed air of summer. Spring air is especially sweet; the smell of warming earth and budding trees mingling with the scent of rain on the near-horizon.

In today's world of information and technology, our lives have become wired with gadgets helping us to stay connected; we run the risk of missing out on all the blessings of nature because we are SO PLUGGED IN. While being connected electronically, we become disconnected physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Perhaps we depend upon cell phones, PDAs, televisions, laptops and GPS devices to connect us to too many people with too much information. Our GPS gets us to our destination efficiently, reducing our chance to meander down a path we didn't know.

As humans, we are part of nature; connected instinctively to plants and animals, sky, sea and earth. Our intuitive sense of feeling centered in the world is balanced by our relationship with the soil - the ground beneath us from which we gain our strength. From this soil comes our survival, intricately balanced with sun and rain.

As a way to renew your energy, here are some suggestions for gaining a deeper understanding of ways nature supports you:

  • Stand in a quiet place, your feet planted firmly and slightly apart. Feel your body weight moving into your feet. Focus and clear your mind, feeling the earth's energy moving up through our feet and into the rest of our body, strengthening and uniting our life force with that of the soil beneath us. Imagine the energy moving through your body and out through your head to the heavens. Next, imagine that same energy moving back down through your head and down through your feet, back into the earth. This will help you reconnect and get centered, powerfully uniting you with renewed energy.

  • Take a walk in the woods, stopping where it feels appropriate. Notice all of the life that surrounds you. Use all of your senses to experience the sights, sounds, scents, and texture of the plants and animals living there. Know that you are surrounded by miracles, sprouting up from the rejuvenated soil. Take the time to ponder how easy it is to relax in this place.

  • Learn to incorporate nature into your everyday life. Surround yourself with living plants, nurturing them as the life source they are. Spend time outside every single day, giving thanks for whatever you might notice. Close your eyes and feel where you are. Take a deep breath and rejoice in the clean air. Allow your cells to know that they are an integral part of all that is.

  • Take night walks. Notice that the scents and textures are different from daytime. Become aware of the moon and the way in which the clouds move in the sky. Pay attention to the stars and planets, appreciating that you are a small part of an elaborate universe.

    Experience the joy of nature now during the season of new beginnings. Clear away the cobwebs and negative attitude that might have taken hold of you during the cold winter months. Take good care of yourself and our environment, respecting our place in the grand scheme.

Michiana Family Magazine
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